BY ORDER OF THE
SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE
AIR FORCE INSTRUCTION 63-125
16 JANUARY 2020
ACQUISITION
NUCLEAR CERTIFICATION
PROGRAM
COMPLIANCE WITH THIS PUBLICATION IS MANDATORY
ACCESSIBILITY: Publications and forms are available on the e-Publishing website at
www.e-Publishing.af.mil for downloading or ordering.
RELEASABILITY: There are no releasability restrictions on this publication.
OPR: SAF/AQXS
Supersedes: AFI 63-125, 24 July 2017
Certified by: SAF/AQX
(Mr. Mark Murphy)
Pages: 39
This instruction implements Air Force Policy Directive (AFPD) 91-1, Nuclear Weapons and
Systems and Surety. This instruction is consistent with AFPD 13-5, Air Force Nuclear Mission
and provides guidance on the certification of procedures, equipment, software, facilities,
personnel, and organizations conducting nuclear operations with nuclear weapons or nuclear
weapon systems. It describes the roles and responsibilities and the standards necessary for
assurance of the nuclear certification required by Air Force Instruction (AFI) 63-101/20-101,
Integrated Life Cycle Management.
This instruction applies to all Regular Air Force, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve,
Department of the Air Force civilian personnel. This instruction also applies to contractors if
included in the applicable contract or involved in the research, design, development, testing,
acquisition, operation, maintenance, or modification of nuclear weapons or their related systems
and subsystems. This publication may be supplemented at the major command (MAJCOM) level,
but supplements must be routed to Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC), Nuclear
Technology Surety and Certification Division (AFNWC/NTS) Certification Management Team at
AFNWC.NTSC.WorkflowMailbox@us.af.mil for coordination prior to certification and
approval. The authorities to waive wing/unit level requirements in this publication are identified
with a Tier (“T-0, T-1, T-2, T-3”) number following the compliance statement. See AFI 33-360,
Publications and Forms Management, for a description of the authorities associated with the Tier
numbers. Submit requests for waivers through the chain of command to the appropriate Tier waiver
approval authority, or alternately, to the requestor’s commander for non-tiered compliance items.
Waiver authorities for mandates to the acquisition execution chain not Tiered are individually
