USC - Nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship, management, and responsiveness plan

View all text of Part A [§ 2521 - § 2538f]

§ 2523. Nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship, management, and responsiveness plan

(a) Plan requirement

(b) Submissions to Congress

(1) In accordance with subsection (c), not later than March 15 of each even-numbered year, the Administrator shall submit to the congressional defense committees a summary of the plan developed under subsection (a).

(2) In accordance with subsection (d), not later than March 15 of each odd-numbered year, the Administrator shall submit to the congressional defense committees a detailed report on the plan developed under subsection (a).

(3) The summaries and reports required by this subsection shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.

(c) Elements of biennial plan summaryEach summary of the plan submitted under subsection (b)(1) shall include, at a minimum, the following:

(1) A summary of the status of the nuclear weapons stockpile, including the number and age of warheads (including both active and inactive) for each warhead type.

(2) A summary of the status, plans, budgets, and schedules for warhead life extension programs and any other programs to modify, update, or replace warhead types.

(3) A summary of the methods and information used to determine that the nuclear weapons stockpile is safe and reliable, as well as the relationship of science-based tools to the collection and interpretation of such information.

(4) A summary of the status of the nuclear security enterprise, including programs and plans for infrastructure modernization and retention of human capital, as well as associated budgets and schedules.

(5) A summary of the status, plans, and budgets for carrying out the stockpile responsiveness program under section 2538b of this title.

(6) A summary of the plan regarding the research and development, deployment, and lifecycle sustainment of technologies described in subsection (d)(7).

(7) A summary of the assessment under subsection (d)(8) regarding the execution of programs with current and projected budgets and any associated risks.

(8) Identification of any modifications or updates to the plan since the previous summary or detailed report was submitted under subsection (b).

(9) Such other information as the Administrator considers appropriate.

(d) Elements of biennial detailed reportEach detailed report on the plan submitted under subsection (b)(2) shall include, at a minimum, the following:

(1) With respect to stockpile stewardship, stockpile management, and stockpile responsiveness—

(A) the status of the nuclear weapons stockpile, including the number and age of warheads (including both active and inactive) for each warhead type;

(B) for each five-year period occurring during the period beginning on the date of the report and ending on the date that is 20 years after the date of the report—

(i) the planned number of nuclear warheads (including active and inactive) for each warhead type in the nuclear weapons stockpile; and

(ii) the past and projected future total lifecycle cost of each type of nuclear weapon;

(C) the status, plans, budgets, and schedules for warhead life extension programs and any other programs to modify, update, or replace warhead types;

(D) a description of the process by which the Administrator assesses the lifetimes, and requirements for life extension or replacement, of the nuclear and non-nuclear components of the warheads (including active and inactive warheads) in the nuclear weapons stockpile;

(E) a description of the process used in recertifying the safety, security, and reliability of each warhead type in the nuclear weapons stockpile;

(F) any concerns of the Administrator that would affect the ability of the Administrator to recertify the safety, security, or reliability of warheads in the nuclear weapons stockpile (including active and inactive warheads);

(G) mechanisms to provide for the manufacture, maintenance, and modernization of each warhead type in the nuclear weapons stockpile, as needed;

(H) mechanisms to expedite the collection of information necessary for carrying out the stockpile management program required by section 2524 of this title, including information relating to the aging of materials and components, new manufacturing techniques, and the replacement or substitution of materials;

(I) mechanisms to ensure the appropriate assignment of roles and missions for each national security laboratory and nuclear weapons production facility, including mechanisms for allocation of workload, mechanisms to ensure the carrying out of appropriate modernization activities, and mechanisms to ensure the retention of skilled personnel;

(J) mechanisms to ensure that each national security laboratory has full and complete access to all weapons data to enable a rigorous peer-review process to support the annual assessment of the condition of the nuclear weapons stockpile required under section 2525 of this title;

(K) mechanisms for allocating funds for activities under the stockpile management program required by section 2524 of this title, including allocations of funds by weapon type and facility;

(L) for each of the five fiscal years following the fiscal year in which the report is submitted, an identification of the funds needed to carry out the program required under section 2524 of this title;

(M) the status, plans, activities, budgets, and schedules for carrying out the stockpile responsiveness program under section 2538b of this title;

(N) for each of the five fiscal years following the fiscal year in which the report is submitted, an identification of the funds needed to carry out the program required under section 2538b of this title; and

(O) as required, when assessing and developing prototype nuclear weapons of foreign countries, a report from the directors of the national security laboratories on the need and plan for such assessment and development that includes separate comments on the plan from the Secretary of Energy and the Director of National Intelligence.

(2) With respect to science-based tools—

(A) a description of the information needed to determine that the nuclear weapons stockpile is safe and reliable;

(B) for each science-based tool used to collect information described in subparagraph (A), the relationship between such tool and such information and the effectiveness of such tool in providing such information based on the criteria developed pursuant to section 2522(a) of this title; and

(3) An assessment of the stockpile stewardship program under section 2521(a) of this title by the Administrator, in consultation with the directors of the national security laboratories, which shall set forth—

(A) an identification and description of—

(i) any key technical challenges to the stockpile stewardship program; and

(ii) the strategies to address such challenges without the use of nuclear testing;

(B) a strategy for using the science-based tools (including advanced simulation and computing capabilities) of each national security laboratory to ensure that the nuclear weapons stockpile is safe, secure, and reliable without the use of nuclear testing;

(C) an assessment of the science-based tools (including advanced simulation and computing capabilities) of each national security laboratory that exist at the time of the assessment compared with the science-based tools expected to exist during the period covered by the future-years nuclear security program; and

(D) an assessment of the core scientific and technical competencies required to achieve the objectives of the stockpile stewardship program and other weapons activities and weapons-related activities of the Administration, including—

(i) the number of scientists, engineers, and technicians, by discipline, required to maintain such competencies; and

(ii) a description of any shortage of such individuals that exists at the time of the assessment compared with any shortage expected to exist during the period covered by the future-years nuclear security program.

(4) With respect to the nuclear security infrastructure—

(A) a description of the modernization and refurbishment measures the Administrator determines necessary to meet the requirements prescribed in—

(i) the national security strategy of the United States as set forth in the most recent national security strategy report of the President under section 3043 of this title if such strategy has been submitted as of the date of the plan;

(ii) the most recent national defense strategy as of the date of the plan; and

(iii) the most recent Nuclear Posture Review as of the date of the plan;

(B) a schedule for implementing the measures described under subparagraph (A) during the 10-year period following the date of the plan;

(C) the estimated levels of annual funds the Administrator determines necessary to carry out the measures described under subparagraph (A), including a discussion of the criteria, evidence, and strategies on which such estimated levels of annual funds are based; and

(D)

(i) a description of—(I) the metrics (based on industry best practices) used by the Administrator to determine the infrastructure deferred maintenance and repair needs of the nuclear security enterprise; and(II) the percentage of replacement plant value being spent on maintenance and repair needs of the nuclear security enterprise; and

(ii) an explanation of whether the annual spending on such needs complies with the recommendation of the National Research Council of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that such spending be in an amount equal to four percent of the replacement plant value, and, if not, the reasons for such noncompliance and a plan for how the Administrator will ensure facilities of the nuclear security enterprise are being properly sustained.

(5) With respect to the nuclear test readiness of the United States—

(A) an estimate of the period of time that would be necessary for the Administrator to conduct an underground test of a nuclear weapon once directed by the President to conduct such a test;

(B) a description of the level of test readiness that the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, determines to be appropriate;

(C) a list and description of the workforce skills and capabilities that are essential to carrying out an underground nuclear test at the Nevada National Security Site;

(D) a list and description of the infrastructure and physical plants that are essential to carrying out an underground nuclear test at the Nevada National Security Site; and

(E) an assessment of the readiness status of the skills and capabilities described in subparagraph (C) and the infrastructure and physical plants described in subparagraph (D).

(6) A strategy for the integrated management of plutonium for stockpile and stockpile stewardship needs over a 20-year period that includes the following:

(A) An assessment of the baseline science issues necessary to understand plutonium aging under static and dynamic conditions under manufactured and nonmanufactured plutonium geometries.

(B) An assessment of scientific and testing instrumentation for plutonium at elemental and bulk conditions.

(D) An assessment of computational models of plutonium performance under static and dynamic loading, including manufactured and nonmanufactured conditions.

(E) An identification of any capability gaps with respect to the assessments described in subparagraphs (A) through (D).

(F) An estimate of costs relating to the issues, instrumentation, technology, and models described in subparagraphs (A) through (D) over the period covered by the future-years nuclear security program under section 2453 of this title.

(G) An estimate of the cost of eliminating the capability gaps identified under subparagraph (E) over the period covered by the future-years nuclear security program.

(H) Such other items as the Administrator considers important for the integrated management of plutonium for stockpile and stockpile stewardship needs.

(7) A plan for the research and development, deployment, and lifecycle sustainment of the technologies employed within the nuclear security enterprise to address physical and cyber security threats during the five fiscal years following the date of the report, together with—

(A) for each site in the nuclear security enterprise, a description of the technologies deployed to address the physical and cybersecurity threats posed to that site;

(B) for each site and for the nuclear security enterprise, the methods used by the Administration to establish priorities among investments in physical and cybersecurity technologies; and

(C) a detailed description of how the funds identified for each program element specified pursuant to paragraph (1) in the budget for the Administration for each fiscal year during that five-fiscal-year period will help carry out that plan.

(8) An assessment of whether the programs described by the report can be executed with current and projected budgets and any associated risks.

(9) Identification of any modifications or updates to the plan since the previous summary or detailed report was submitted under subsection (b).

(e) Nuclear Weapons Council assessment

(1) For each detailed report on the plan submitted under subsection (b)(2), the Nuclear Weapons Council shall conduct an assessment that includes the following:

(A) An analysis of the plan, including—

(i) whether the plan supports the requirements of the national security strategy of the United States referred to in subsection (d)(4)(A)(i), the most recent the national defense strategy, and the most recent Nuclear Posture Review;

(ii) whether the modernization and refurbishment measures described under subparagraph (A) of subsection (d)(4) and the schedule described under subparagraph (B) of such subsection are adequate to support such requirements; and

(iii) whether the plan supports the stockpile responsiveness program under section 2538b of this title in a manner that meets the objectives of such program and an identification of any improvements that may be made to the plan to better carry out such program.

(B) An analysis of whether the plan adequately addresses the requirements for infrastructure recapitalization of the facilities of the nuclear security enterprise.

(C) If the Nuclear Weapons Council determines that the plan does not adequately support modernization and refurbishment requirements under subparagraph (A) or the nuclear security enterprise facilities infrastructure recapitalization requirements under subparagraph (B), a risk assessment with respect to—

(i) supporting the annual certification of the nuclear weapons stockpile; and

(ii) maintaining the long-term safety, security, and reliability of the nuclear weapons stockpile.

(2) Not later than 180 days after the date on which the Administrator submits the plan under subsection (b)(2), the Nuclear Weapons Council shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report detailing the assessment required under paragraph (1).

(f) DefinitionsIn this section:

(1) The term “budget”, with respect to a fiscal year, means the budget for that fiscal year that is submitted to Congress by the President under

(2) The term “future-years nuclear security program” means the program required by section 2453 of this title.

(3) The term “national defense strategy” means the review of the defense programs and policies of the United States that is carried out every four years under section 113(g) of title 10.

(4) The term “nuclear security budget materials”, with respect to a fiscal year, means the materials submitted to Congress by the Administrator in support of the budget for that fiscal year.

(5) The term “weapons activities” means each activity within the budget category of weapons activities in the budget of the Administration.

(6) The term “weapons-related activities” means each activity under the Department of Energy that involves nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons technology, or fissile or radioactive materials, including activities related to—

(A) nuclear nonproliferation;

(B) nuclear forensics;

(D) nuclear safety; and

(E) nuclear incident response.

(Pub. L. 107–314, div. D, title XLII, § 4203, formerly Pub. L. 105–85, div. C, title XXXI, § 3151, Nov. 18, 1997, 111 Stat. 2041; renumbered Pub. L. 107–314, div. D, title XLII, § 4203, by Pub. L. 108–136, div. C, title XXXI, § 3141(e)(4), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1758; amended Pub. L. 108–375, div. C, title XXXI, § 3115, Oct. 28, 2004, 118 Stat. 2162; Pub. L. 112–239, div. C, title XXXI, § 3133(a)(1), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 2187; Pub. L. 113–66, div. C, title XXXI, §§ 3123, 3146(a)(2)(A), Dec. 26, 2013, 127 Stat. 1061, 1072; Pub. L. 113–291, div. C, title XXXI, § 3142(c), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3900; Pub. L. 114–92, div. C, title XXXI, § 3112(c)(1), Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 1190; Pub. L. 115–91, div. C, title XXXI, §§ 3111(c), 3133(c)(1), 3134, 3135(a), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1882, 1896, 1898; Pub. L. 116–92, div. C, title XXXI, § 3139(b)(2), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1962.)