On Thursday, the full House of Representatives will begin
consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY
2003. One of the provisions in this bill, H.R. 4546, would
affect the readiness of the Department of Energy to test nuclear
weapons.
It is estimated that it would require almost three years for the
United States to resume underground nuclear testing. To reduce
this time, H.R. 4546 requires that "The Secretary of Energy, in
consultation with the Administrator for Nuclear Security, shall
prepare a plan for achieving, not later than one year after the
date on which the plan is submitted . . . a one-year readiness
posture for resumption by the United States of underground
nuclear weapons tests."
When National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Under
Secretary John Gordon testified before the Senate Armed Services
Committee in February he discussed test readiness:
"During the NPR [Nuclear Posture Review], two concerns were
raised about our test readiness program. First, a two to three
year readiness posture may not be sustainable as more and more
experienced test personnel retire. Not all techniques and
processes required to carry out underground nuclear tests are
exercised with the work carried out at the NTS [Nevada Test
Site]. As experienced personnel retire, it will become more
difficult to train new people in these techniques, further
degrading test readiness. This argued for an approach in which
key capabilities required to conduct nuclear tests are
identified and exercised regularly on projects making use of a
variety of nuclear test-related skills. Second, the current two
to three year posture may be too long. If we believed that a
defect uncovered in the stockpile surveillance program, or
through new insight gained in R&D efforts, had degraded our
confidence in the safety and/or reliability of the W76 warhead -
the warhead deployed on Trident submarines and comprising the
most substantial part of our strategic deterrent - the ability
to conduct a test more quickly might be critically important."
During consideration of its authorization bill last week, House
Armed Services Committee members defeated an amendment that
would have required the President to notify Congress not less
than one year before the resumption of nuclear testing, and
would have required that the President certified that national
security necessitated testing. In the report accompanying H.R.
4546 the committee explained:
"The President has stated that resumption of underground nuclear
testing is not required at this time, and the Administration
continues to observe the moratorium on nuclear testing. As
reflected in justification materials submitted to Congress in
support of the President's fiscal year 2003 budget request, the
policy of the NNSA is to be capable of resuming underground
testing within two to three years, should the President
determine that such tests are necessary. The NNSA Administrator
has stated that the current test readiness posture of the
weapons complex is closer to three years.
"The most recent Nuclear Posture Review, submitted to Congress
by the Department of Defense on January 8, 2002, supports
reduction of the Department of Energy's test readiness lead-
time.
"In its fiscal year 2001 report to Congress submitted on March
15, 2002, the Panel to Assess the Reliability, Safety, and
Security of the United States Nuclear Stockpile recommends a
test readiness of 3 months to a year depending on the type of
test. The Panel notes that the test 'pedigree' of existing
weapons is deteriorating with time, and that prudence dictates
that the President should have a 'realistic option' to resume
nuclear testing if technical or political events so require.
"The committee concurs with these recommendations. The committee
believes that test readiness could be greatly enhanced by, among
other actions, planning for specific tests, conducting site
preparation activities, laying in diagnostics, and maintaining
test articles at the Nevada Test Site. Section 3145 requires the
Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the NNSA
Administrator, to develop and report to Congress on a plan and
budget to achieve a one-year readiness posture within one year
of a decision to do so."
If House rules allow, representatives may be given an
opportunity to vote on an amendment by Rep. John Spratt, Jr. (D-
SC) and Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA). Both are members of the
House Armed Services Committee. This amendment would not change
the readiness of the United States to resume testing, but would
require presidential notification to Congress of the intention
to test. Amendment supporters contend that providing a year's
notification before nuclear testing occurred would assure that
Congress had sufficient time to consider the testing. The
current version of the Spratt-Tauscher amendment states:
"(a) NOTIFICATION. Not less than 12 months before the United
States conducts an underground test of a nuclear weapon, the
President shall submit to Congress a report on the test to be
conducted. The report shall include each of the following: (1)
The date on which the President intends such test to be
conducted. (2) The President's certification that the national
security of the United States requires that such test be
conducted, and an explanation of the reasons why the national
security so requires. (3) An assessment of the expected
reactions of other nations to the test. (b) REPORT ON TEST
READINESS. Not later than March 1, 2003, the Secretary of
Energy shall submit to Congress a report on the options for
reducing the amount of time required to conduct an underground
test of a nuclear weapon after a decision to conduct such a test
is made. The report shall include the following: (1) The
findings of the study carried out by the Department of Energy in
fiscal year 2002 that examined such options. (2) The assessment
of the Secretary as to whether reducing such amount of time to
less than 24 to 36 months is feasible. (3) The technical
challenges and requirement associated with reducing such amount
of time to less than 24 to 36 months. The cost, during the
period from fiscal year 2003 to 2012, associated with reducing
such amount of time to less than 24 to 36 months."
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