United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-06-28 monographic deposited born digital 77 p. GA 1.13:RCED-99-195 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-195 P0b002ee18039d9ea f:rc99195 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-195 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-195 RCED-99-195 Information resources management Computer software Computer modeling Future budget projections Management information systems Nuclear weapons testing ADP procurement Cost analysis Weapons research and development Strategic information systems planning DOE Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative DOE Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty of 1996 DOE Academic Strategic Alliances Program DOE Financial Information Variance Reporting System Chapter Report RCED Historically, the United States has detonated nuclear weapons to determine their safety and reliability. Since 1992, however, there has been a moratorium on testing. As a substitute for actual testing, the Department of Energy (DOE) developed the Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program in 1995. The program uses various methods, including computer modeling, to ensure weapon safety and reliability. The strategic computing initiative seeks to develop advanced computer models that will simulate nuclear explosions in three dimensions with higher resolution than previous models and with a more complete treatment of the underlying basic physics. The initiative is also developing the world's largest and fastest computers. GAO found that weak management and information processes have hampered oversight of this $5-billion initiative. For example, the initiative's strategic plan is out of date, annual plans have been prepared only sporadically, and milestones are not well defined. Moreover, the lack of information has made it difficult to determine which of the hundreds of milestones have been met, which are behind schedule, or even which are still relevant. Program cost estimates have risen substantially. Finally, significant technical challenges will have to be overcome before a computer simulation can determine, in the absence of nuclear testing, whether a weapon system will work as expected. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-195/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-195.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-195/pdf/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-195.pdf GAO/RCED-99-195 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-195 Chapter Report GAO/RCED-99-195; Nuclear Weapons: DOE Needs to Improve Oversight of the $5; Information resources management Computer software Computer modeling Future budget projections Management information systems Nuclear weapons testing ADP procurement Cost analysis Weapons research and development Strategic information systems planning DOE Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative DOE Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty of 1996 DOE Academic Strategic Alliances Program DOE Financial Information Variance Reporting System