About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

GAO-19-127R 1 (2018-11-02)

handle is hein.gao/gaobacpsy0001 and id is 1 raw text is: cAO U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE 441 G St. N.W. Washington, DC 20548 November 2, 2018 Congressional Committees Nuclear Weapons Sustainment: Fiscal Year 2018 Nuclear Forces Budget Estimates The Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Energy (DOE) are undertaking an extensive, multifaceted effort to sustain and modernize U.S. nuclear weapons capabilities, including the nuclear weapons stockpile; the research and production infrastructure; delivery systems; and the nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3) system.' The strategic missiles, submarines, and aircraft-and the nuclear weapons carried by these delivery systems-are aging and being deployed beyond their intended service lives. Many of the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) key facilities for nuclear weapons research, development, and production date back to the 1940s and 1950s.2 DOD and DOE estimates show that nuclear sustainment and modernization efforts are expected to cost billions of dollars over the next decade. In February 2018, the administration released a new Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) which called for a continuation of DOD's and DOE's sustainment and modernization efforts, while also proposing a range of programmatic changes to the nuclear weapons enterprise. Section 1043 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, as amended, requires the President, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy, to submit a report on the plan for the nuclear weapons stockpile, complex, delivery systems, and command and control system for each of fiscal years 2013 through 2023.4 1 The nuclear weapons stockpile consists of seven weapon types. Nuclear delivery systems consist of a variety of platforms-including heavy bombers, air-launched cruise missiles, and ballistic missile submarines-operated by the Air Force and the Navy. The NC3 system consists of satellites, early warning radars, aircraft, communications networks, and other systems that are managed by the Air Force, the Navy, the Defense Information Systems Agency, and other organizations. 2 NNSA is a separately organized agency within DOE that is responsible for the management and security of DOE's nuclear weapons, nuclear nonproliferation, and naval reactor programs. 3 Department of Defense, Nuclear Posture Review (Washington, D.C.: February 2018). 4 See Pub. L. No. 112-81, § 1043(a) (2011), amended by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, Pub. L. No. 112-239, § 1041 (2013), the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014, Pub. L. No. 113-66, § 1054 (2013), the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-91, § 1665 (2017), and the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, Pub. L. No. 115-232, § 1670 (2018). The report is to be transmitted to the congressional defense committees, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. § 1043(a)(1). The reporting function was delegated to the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Energy in 2012. See 77 Fed. Reg. 12,721 (Mar. 2, 2012). GAO-1 9-127R Nuclear Weapons Sustainment Page 1

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most