§2534. Plan for transformation of National Nuclear Security Administration nuclear security enterprise

(a) Plan required

The Secretary of Energy shall develop a plan to transform the nuclear security enterprise 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 security enterprise, 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 security enterprise, 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 security enterprise, 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 security enterprise in a more cost-effective manner.

(b) Consultation

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.

(Pub. L. 107–314, div. D, title XLII, §4214, as added Pub. L. 109–364, div. C, title XXXI, §3111(a), Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2502 ; amended Pub. L. 112–239, div. C, title XXXI, §3131(g)(1), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 2181 .)

Amendments

2013-Pub. L. 112–239 substituted "nuclear security enterprise" for "nuclear weapons complex" in section catchline and wherever appearing in text, redesignated subsec. (c) as (b) and struck out former subsecs. (b) and (d), which, respectively, required a report on the transformation plan required by subsection (a) and defined "national security laboratory".