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Stockpile Stewardship
The Stockpile Stewardship Program was established in response to the
Fiscal Year 1994 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law
103-160), which requires, in the absence of nuclear testing, a program
to:
- Support a focused, multifaceted program to increase the
understanding of the enduring stockpile;
- Predict, detect, and evaluate potential problems of the aging of the
stockpile;
- Refurbish and re-manufacture weapons and components, as required; and
- Maintain the science and engineering institutions needed to support
the nation’s nuclear deterrent, now and in the future.
As the civilian steward of the nation’s nuclear weapons complex, the
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration
is responsible for the safety and reliability of the nation’s nuclear
arsenal. The U.S. Department of Defense partners with the DOE in setting
requirements and establishing production goals against civilian and
military surety and safety concerns.
A suite of enhanced capabilities and facilities across the Nuclear
Weapons Complex (which includes weapons laboratories, production plants,
and the Nevada Test Site) have been developed to fill in the knowledge
gaps and to provide data relevant to identified stockpile concerns.
Capabilities specific to the Nevada Test Site include: Atlas, the Big
Explosives Experimental Facility (BEEF), the Device Assembly Facility
(DAF), the Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research (JASPER)
Facility, and the U1a Complex.
Refer to the following Fact Sheet for more information:
 Stockpile Stewardship
Program [PDF, 191 KB]
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