FY 2012 Request for National Nuclear Security Administration

“The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) continues significant efforts to meet Administration and Secretarial priorities, leveraging science to promote U.S. national security objectives. The FY 2012 President’s budget request for NNSA is $11.8 billion; an increase of 5.1 percent from the President’s FY 2011 Request. The five-year FY 2012-2016 President’s Request for the NNSA reflects the President’s global nuclear nonproliferation priorities and his commitment to modernize the U.S. nuclear weapons complex and sustain a strong nuclear deterrent, as described in the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) Report, for the duration of the New START Treaty and beyond. The NNSA’s defense and homeland security-related objectives include: - Ensure that the U.S. nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure and effective while implementing changes called for by the 2010 NPR and the New START Treaty - Broaden and strengthen the NNSA’s science, technology and engineering mission to meet national security needs - Transform the Nation’s Cold-War era weapons complex into a 21st century national security enterprise - Work with global partners to secure all vulnerable nuclear materials around the world and implement the President’s nuclear security agenda expressed in the May 2010 National Security Strategy and the Nuclear Posture Review report - Provide safe and effective nuclear propulsion for U.S. Navy warships”

“The Weapons Activities request is an increase of 8.9 percent over the President’s FY 2011 Request. This level is sustained and increased in the later outyears. The multi-year increase is necessary to reflect the President’s commitment to maintain the safety, security and effectiveness of the nuclear deterrent without underground nuclear testing, consistent with the principles of the Report on the Plan for the Nuclear Weapons Stockpile, Nuclear Weapons Complex, and Delivery Platforms (known as the ‘1251 Report’) and the Stockpile Management Program as stipulated in Sections 1251 and 3113(a)(2) of the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2010. Increases are provided for direct support of the nuclear weapon stockpile, for scientific, technical and engineering activities related to maintenance assessment and certification capabilities, and for recapitalization of key nuclear facilities. The President’s Request provides funding necessary to protect the nationalresource of human capital at the national laboratories through a stockpile stewardship program that exercises and retains these capabilities.”

“The FY 2012 request for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN) is $2.5 billion; a decrease of 5.1 percent from the President’s FY 2011 Request. This decrease reflects completion of long-lead procurements for the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MOX) and Waste Solidification Building (WSB). It also reflects our decision to await an agreement between the U.S. and Russia on detailed implementation milestones prior to requesting additional U.S.-pledged funding to support Russian plutonium disposition. The Administration prioritizes U.S. leadership in global nonproliferation initiatives as directed through the National Security Strategy and has advanced this agenda through commitments from global partners during the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit. In addition to the programs funded solely by the NNSA, Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation programs support interagency and international efforts to protect national security by preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and nuclear materials to terrorist organizations and rogue states. These efforts are implemented in part through the International Atomic Energy Agency, the G8 Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, and the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism.”

“DNN supports the President’s goal to secure vulnerable nuclear materials around the world within four years. The Global Threat Reduction Initiative’s emphasis in FY 2012 is to convert domestic and international nuclear reactors from weapons-usable highly enriched uranium fuel to low-enriched uranium fuel (LEU); while preserving our capability to produce the critically needed Molybdenum 99 isotope. The FY 2012 President’s request for International Nuclear Materials Protection and Cooperation reflects selective new security upgrades to buildings and sites in accordance with the President’s goal to secure vulnerable nuclear materials around the world within four years, as well as enhancements and sustainability support for previous work. The Fissile Materials Disposition program continues domestic construction of the MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility scheduled to come online in 2016; and design for the pit disassembly and conversion capability to provide it with plutonium oxide feedstock.”