[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 33 (Wednesday, March 22, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S1590]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY'S UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR WEAPONS TESTING 
               ORIENTATION PROGRAM CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY

 Mr. BRYAN. Mr. President, as Vice Chairman of the Senate 
Select Committee on Intelligence, it is my great pleasure to 
congratulate the men and women of the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada 
Operations Office, the National Laboratories, and affiliated 
contractors who celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Underground 
Nuclear Weapons Testing Orientation Program this year. This 
proliferation training course based at the Nevada Test Site has trained 
over 500 U.S. Government policy makers and analysts from the arms 
control, intelligence, and defense communities since its inception in 
1980.
  This course provides briefings by subject matter experts from DOE and 
the Labs, to include an overview of how the U.S. historically conducted 
atmospheric and underground nuclear weapons tests and effects tests, 
the basis for diagnostic experiments, the challenges of stockpile 
stewardship, and the process for executing subcritical experiments. 
Through lectures, discussion, and orientation visits to underground 
facilities, control rooms, former ground zeros, equipment yards, and 
nuclear test artifacts, the course provides hands-on experience that 
goes to the core of nuclear weapons testing. The course also provides 
essential information suitable to contrast with foreign nuclear weapons 
testing programs.
  The efforts of the DOE staff in Nevada are to be commended. It is 
their dedication in the planning and execution of this course that will 
train the next generation of intelligence analysts, collectors, 
managers, consumers and policy officials with responsibility for 
nuclear programs, proliferation, arms control, and related disciplines. 
It is my hope that they will continue this essential training course 
for many years to come.

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