The Nuclear Weapons Council (NWC) is a joint Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) organization established by Congress to facilitate cooperation and coordination between the two Departments as they fulfill their dual agency responsibilities for U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile management. The Council provides an inter-agency forum for reaching consensus and establishing priorities between the two Departments. It also provides policy guidance and oversight of the nuclear stockpile management process to ensure high confidence in the safety, security, and reliability of U.S. nuclear weapons. The NWC serves as an oversight and reporting body and is accountable to both the Legislative and Executive branches of the government. The NWC meets regularly to raise and resolve issues between the DoD and the NNSA regarding concerns and strategies for stockpile management.

The Council is also required to report regularly to the President regarding the safety and reliability of the U.S. stockpile, as well as to provide an annual recommendation on the need to resume UGT in order to preserve the credibility of the U.S. nuclear deterrent. The NWC evaluates the surety of the stockpile and reports its findings to the President each year. The processes for the development, coordination, and approval of these annual reports can be complex, involving a wide range of participants who represent the U.S. nuclear weapons community. These include technicians, scientists, engineers, action and staff officers, as well as senior military and civilian officials.

The NWC was established by Title 10 Section 179 of the U.S. Code in 1986. The current membership includes: the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (AT&L), the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security, and the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. The NWC Staff resides within the Office of the Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters (ODATSD(NM)), with the (ATSD(NCB)). Deputy for Nuclear Matters providing day-to-day oversight of the Nuclear Weapons Council Staff and working directly with the NWC Staff Director (ATSD(NCB)).   NWC participation includes several observer organizations in addition to the official members. Although these organizations do not have voting privileges, they make valuable technical contributions to NWC deliberations. These organizations include:

Office of the Secretary of Defense, International Security Policy (OSD(ISP)) Office of the Director, Program Analysis and Evaluation (PA&E) Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Command, Control and Communications) (ASD(C3)) Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USD(I)) Office of the Commander, U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) National Security Council (NSC) NNSA Defense Programs (DP) Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Comptroller (OUSD(C)) Office of the USD(AT&L) for Defense System

The NWC Staff is composed of an NNSA staff member and a Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) staff member, both of whom have been assigned to the ODATSD(NM). The NWC Staff is also supported by government contractors, as required. The NWC Staff reports through the ODATSD(NM) to the NWC Staff Director, who is the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Chemical and Biological Defense Programs (ATSD(NCB))within the office of the USD(AT&L).

The NWC Staff has a variety of responsibilities, all of which ensure that the Council and its subordinate bodies operate as efficiently and effectively as possible. The primary responsibilities of the NWC Staff can be divided into two areas: meeting planning and follow-up activities; execution and the development, drafting, and coordination of the NWC annual reports.