---
category: U.S. Government
location: Livermore, California
summary: Z Division is a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory intelligence unit
  that serves as the authoritative U.S. government analyst for foreign nuclear weapons
  programs, with primary historical emphasis on Soviet and Israeli capabilities.
tags:
- Organization
- Intelligence
- USA
---

Z Division is a special intelligence unit at the [Livermore Laboratories](/organizations/lawrence-livermore-national-laboratory/). Its experts are considered the final word on proliferation issues, and it is responsible for analyzing foreign nuclear weapons, with an emphasis on Soviet weaponry. The most exhaustive analysis of [Mordecai Vanunu](/people/mordecai-vanunu/)'s statements and photographs was conducted by Z Division.[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 15.