NNSA is a separately organized agency within the Department of Energy responsible for the management and security of the nation’s nuclear weapons, nuclear nonproliferation, and naval reactor programs.  It also responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the United States and abroad.  Additionally, NNSA federal agents provide safe and secure transportation of nuclear weapons and components and special nuclear materials along with other missions supporting the national security.

The NNSA Act (Title XXXII of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000, Public Law 106-65) specifies the agency’s national security missions:

• To enhance United States national security through the military application of nuclear energy;
• To maintain and enhance the safety, reliability, and performance of the United States nuclear weapons stockpile, including the ability to design, produce, and test, in order to meet national security requirements;
• To provide the United States Navy with safe, militarily effective nuclear propulsion plants and to ensure the safe and reliable operation of those plants;
• To promote international nuclear safety and nonproliferation;
• To reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction; and
• To support United States leadership in science and technology.