U.S. CODE

U.S. Code

§ 2534. Plan for transformation of National Nuclear Security Administration nuclear weapons complex

(a) Plan required

The Secretary of Energy shall develop a plan to transform the nuclear weapons complex so as to achieve a responsive infrastructure by 2030. The plan shall be designed to accomplish the following objectives:

(1) To maintain the safety, reliability, and security of the United States nuclear weapons stockpile.

(2) To continue Stockpile Life Extension Programs that the Nuclear Weapons Council considers necessary.

(3) To prepare to produce replacement warheads under the Reliable Replacement Warhead program at a rate necessary to meet future stockpile requirements, commencing with a first production unit in 2012 and achieving steady-state production using modern manufacturing processes by 2025.

(4) To eliminate, within the nuclear weapons complex, duplication of production capability except to the extent required to ensure the safety, reliability, and security of the stockpile.

(5) To maintain the current philosophy within the national security laboratories of peer review of nuclear weapons designs while eliminating duplication of laboratory capabilities except to the extent required to ensure the safety, reliability, and security of the stockpile.

(6) To maintain the national security mission, and in particular the science-based Stockpile Stewardship Program, as the primary mission of the national security laboratories while optimizing the work-for-others activities of those laboratories to support other national security objectives in fields such as defense, intelligence, and homeland security.

(7) To consolidate to the maximum extent practicable, and to provide for the ultimate disposition of, special nuclear material throughout the nuclear weapons complex, with the ultimate goal of eliminating Category I and II special nuclear material from the national security laboratories no later than March 1, 2012, so as to further reduce the footprint of the nuclear weapons complex, reduce security costs, and reduce transportation costs for special nuclear material. This objective does not preclude the retention of Category I and II special nuclear materials at a national security laboratory if the transformation plan required by this subsection envisions a pit production capability (including interim pit production) at a national security laboratory.

(8) To employ a risk-based approach to ensure compliance with Design Basis Threat security requirements.

(9) To expeditiously dismantle inactive nuclear weapons to reduce the size of the stockpile to the lowest level required by the Nuclear Weapons Council.

(10) To operate the nuclear weapons complex in a more cost-effective manner.

(b) Report

Not later than February 1, 2007, the Secretary of Energy shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the transformation plan required by subsection (a). The report shall address each of the objectives required by subsection (c) ^[1] and also include each of the following:

(1) A comprehensive list of the capabilities, facilities, and project staffing that the National Nuclear Security Administration will need to have in place at the nuclear weapons complex as of 2030 to meet the requirements of the transformation plan.

(2) A comprehensive list of the capabilities and facilities that the National Nuclear Security Administration currently has in place at the nuclear weapons complex that will not be needed as of 2030 to meet the requirements of the transformation plan.

(3) A plan for implementing the transformation plan, including a schedule with incremental milestones.

The Secretary of Energy shall develop the transformation plan required by subsection (a) in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Nuclear Weapons Council.

(d) Definition

In this section, the term “national security laboratory” has the meaning given such term in section 2471 of this title.

[1] So in original. Probably should be subsection “(a)”.

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