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GAO-15-89R 1 (2014-12-11)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaaimp0001 and id is 1 raw text is: GAO U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE 441 G St. N.W. Washington, DC 20548 December 11, 2014 Congressional Committees Nuclear Weapons: DOD's Plan for Implementing Nuclear Reductions Generally Addresses Statutory Requirements but Lacks Some Detail Nuclear weapons have long been a cornerstone of the nation's defense strategy. These weapons-deployed on strategic delivery systems, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), and nuclear-capable aircraft-have played an essential role in U.S. policy for deterring potential adversaries and assuring U.S. allies and other security partners that they can count on America's security commitments. At the same time, arms control agreements and strategic policies have led the United States to maintain its nuclear deterrent capability with decreasing numbers of weapons and strategic delivery systems. In his April 2009 speech in Prague, the President spoke of the United States' commitment to seeking a world without nuclear weapons. The 2010 Nuclear Posture Review Report (NPR) outlined the administration's approach to maintaining the U.S. nuclear deterrent capability while pursuing further reductions in nuclear weapons.1 The NPR report focused on five key objectives; one of these objectives, maintaining strategic deterrence and stability at reduced nuclear force levels, emphasizes the importance of bilateral and verifiable reductions in strategic nuclear weapons in coordination with Russia. In support of this objective, the United States signed a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia-known as New START-on April 8, 2010, which entered into force on February 5, 2011.2 Section 1042 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 required the Department of Defense (DOD) to submit a plan to the congressional defense committees, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for implementing the nuclear force reductions, limitations, and verification and transparency measures contained in New START.3 In April 2014, DOD submitted a report on its plan to implement New START. Section 1042 also mandates that we submit a review of DOD's plan.4 This report assesses the extent to which DOD's report includes the elements required by the mandate. 1 Section 1070 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, Pub. L. No. 110-181 (2008), required the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of State, to conduct a comprehensive review of the nuclear posture of the United States for the next 5 to 10 years. The Department of Defense published the conclusions and recommendations from that review in the April 2010 Nuclear Posture Review Report. 2 Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, U.S.-Russ., Apr. 8, 2010, T.I.A.S. No. 11-205. 3 Pub. L. No. 112-81, § 1042(a) (2011). Section 1042 required DOD to submit the plan not later than 30 days from the date of enactment. 4 § 1042(c). GAO-15-89R Nuclear Weapons Page 1

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