United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2008-07-17 monographic deposited born digital 13 p. GA 1.13:GAO-08-1032T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-1032T P0b002ee18037c986 f:d081032t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-1032T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-1032T GAO-08-1032T Accountability Cost analysis Federal agency reorganization Industrial facilities Laboratories Nuclear facilities Nuclear facility security Nuclear weapons Nuclear weapons plant security Nuclear weapons plants Plutonium Program management Reporting requirements Strategic planning Uranium Weapons industry Weapons research and development Cost estimates Program goals or objectives Program implementation DOE Stockpile Stewardship Program Testimony A82920 Over the past several years, a serious effort has begun to comprehensively reevaluate how the United States maintains its nuclear deterrent and what the nation's approach should be for transforming its aging nuclear weapons complex. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a separately organized agency within the Department of Energy (DOE), is responsible for overseeing this weapons complex, which comprises three nuclear weapons design laboratories, four production plants, and the Nevada Test Site. In December 2007, NNSA issued a draft report on potential environmental impacts of alternative actions to transform the nuclear weapons complex, which NNSA refers to as Complex Transformation. NNSA's preferred action is to establish a number of "distributed centers of excellence" at sites within the existing nuclear weapons complex, including the Los Alamos National Laboratory for plutonium capabilities, the Y-12 Plant for uranium capabilities, and the Pantex Plant for weapons assembly, disassembly, and high explosives manufacturing. NNSA would continue to operate these facilities to maintain and refurbish the existing nuclear weapons stockpile as it makes the transition to a smaller, more responsive infrastructure. GAO was asked to discuss NNSA's Complex Transformation proposal. This testimony is based on previous GAO work. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-1032T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-1032T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-1032T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-1032T.pdf GAO-08-1032T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-1032T Testimony GAO-08-1032T; Nuclear Weapons: Views on NNSA's Proposal to Transform the Nuclear Weapons Complex; Accountability Cost analysis Federal agency reorganization Industrial facilities Laboratories Nuclear facilities Nuclear facility security Nuclear weapons Nuclear weapons plant security Nuclear weapons plants Plutonium Program management Reporting requirements Strategic planning Uranium Weapons industry Weapons research and development Cost estimates Program goals or objectives Program implementation DOE Stockpile Stewardship Program Public Law 106-398 Public Law 110-181