To maintain and modernize the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, the National Nuclear Security Administration needs a supply of depleted uranium metal (a by-product of enriching uranium to make nuclear fuel) to manufacture nuclear weapon components. But, its supply is dwindling, and critical manufacturing capabilities have been dormant. NNSA plans to: upgrade existing Department of Energy facilities...

The National Nuclear Security Administration plans to replace the W78—an older type of nuclear warhead used in intercontinental ballistic missiles—with the W87-1, starting in 2030. But it's unclear if NNSA can produce enough of the W87-1's fissile cores in time to meet its planned production schedule. NNSA estimated that the new warhead could cost up to $14.8 billion, which could make it the m...

The Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration is in the middle of a long-term effort to modernize the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. DOE's 2021 budget estimate for nuclear modernization activities for FYs 2021-2025 is $81 billion—$15 billion more than its 2020 budget estimate for the same period. Such an increase may require cuts in other national defense programs to keep...

The National Nuclear Security Administration is working to modernize and extend the life of the W80, a type of nuclear warhead carried on air-launched cruise missiles. NNSA estimated that this program will cost $11.2 billion and last until 2031. According to the NNSA, it will deliver the first W80-4 nuclear warhead by September 2025. However, we found this date is more than a year earlier than th...

Microelectronics used in nuclear weapons must function in environments with extremely high radiation levels. The National Nuclear Security Administration’s only source for producing these specialized microelectronics are aging facilities at Sandia National Labs. NNSA is starting a $1 billion, 20-year effort to upgrade and sustain Sandia’s existing facilities and nuclear capabilities. NNSA has...

For our 18th annual assessment of DOD’s weapon programs, we looked at DOD’s plans to acquire about $1.8 trillion worth of new weapons systems. DOD is focused on delivering these weapons quickly, and in some cases has started using a more streamlined process to do so. However, for many of the programs we looked at, DOD did not take steps to help achieve its goal, such as completing certain pla...

DOD conducted several reviews of its nuclear forces. We looked at DOD’s progress in implementing recommendations from those reviews. We found that DOD has implemented some recommendations but doesn’t keep information on its progress current and complete, e.g., expected completion dates aren’t updated for items that are behind schedule. We made recommendations to help DOD better track its pr...

Uranium must be processed to use it in nuclear weapons or reactors. The National Nuclear Security Administration knows its uranium processing facilities are outdated and deteriorating. As part of its overall uranium program, NNSA expects to complete a new processing facility for $6.5 billion by 2025—on budget and on time. In addition, the agency will modernize some, and transition out of other,...

The National Nuclear Security Administration is working to modernize the nation’s nuclear weapon stockpile and the infrastructure on which weapon programs depend. We testified that NNSA has improved some of its management practices for these modernization efforts. For example, the agency has established requirements for conducting independent cost estimates. But NNSA still has trouble managing...

The Departments of Energy and Defense expect to spend hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade to sustain and modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The agencies are required to estimate the cost of this work over the next 10 years and provide annual updates in a joint report. We found the departments’ estimates were generally consistent with their internal funding and modernization pl...

The National Nuclear Security Administration works with contractors to design and make explosive materials for nuclear weapons. Challenges to carrying out this work include: Deteriorating conditions in many labs and other facilities Dwindling supplies of specialized explosive materials Delayed security clearances for new staff NNSA did issue a plan to address these challenges. But it didn't f...

The Navy will start taking certain submarines out of service in 2027 and is relying on its new Columbia class submarines to replace them. The schedule for construction and delivery of the first submarine is aggressive and leaves little room for error. However, the Navy's cost estimate to construct 12 Columbia class submarines—$115 billion—is not realistic because it is based on several overly...

To help oversee its contractors, the National Nuclear Security Administration asks them to supply data on their activities. Contractors have previously described these data calls as burdensome, duplicative, and a further strain on contractor-NNSA relations. We could not identify a recent trend in the number of data calls because NNSA and its contractors do not routinely track them. They also use...

The National Nuclear Security Administration is preparing to restart a program to replace the W78 nuclear warhead, which is used in Air Force intercontinental ballistic missiles. The goal is to produce the first W78 replacement warhead in fiscal year 2030. Pending further study, this replacement warhead may also be used in Navy submarine launched ballistic missiles. NNSA has taken steps in progr...

The National Nuclear Security Administration is responsible for the management and security of U.S. nuclear weapons programs. It relies heavily on contractors to carry out its mission, including one to manage and operate Sandia National Laboratories. National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia took over operations in 2017 under a 5-year, $12.7 billion contract. We reviewed NNSA's cost...

The National Nuclear Security Administration spent over $11 billion in 2016 on management and operating contracts at the federal sites that maintain the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal, among other things. We found that NNSA was unable to promptly locate key contract documents, which NNSA officials need to effectively oversee these contracts, and justify awarding millions of federal dollars. We rec...

The National Nuclear Security Administration manages U.S.-origin enriched uranium for certain needs such as for the production of tritium, which is used in nuclear weapons. After losing its last source of U.S.-origin enriched uranium in 2013, NNSA projected that its supply would run out in 2027. We found that NNSA has extended its supply through 2038 but it has not clearly defined longer term enr...

The Department of Energy's (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) manages the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile and supports nonproliferation efforts. DOE's Office of Environmental Management addresses contamination at nuclear weapons production sites. We testified that NNSA’s plans to modernize its nuclear weapons do not align with its budget, raising affordability concerns DOE's...

The National Nuclear Security Administration manages programs that refurbish or replace nuclear weapons' aging components to ensure each weapon is safe, secure, and effective. Prior life extension programs have cost far more and taken years longer than expected. We issued a series of recommendations over several years designed to improve management of these programs. Recently, NNSA adopted a new...

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)—a semiautonomous agency within the Department of Energy (DOE)—has used a variety of established methods in its “Over the Horizon” (OTH) initiative to assess potential proliferation threats, but the implementation of these methods had several limitations. NNSA used established methods in its OTH initiative, including: (1) a literature revi...

GAO found that challenges exist in reducing the security risks faced by licensees using high-risk industrial radiological sources. Specifically, licensees face challenges in (1) securing mobile and stationary sources and (2) protecting against an insider threat. Regarding mobile sources, their portability makes them susceptible to theft or loss, as the size of some of these sources is small enough...

The Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a separately organized agency within DOE, continue to face challenges in ensuring that oversight of security activities is effective. For example, in July 2012, after three trespassers gained access to the protected security area directly adjacent to one of the nation's most critically important nuclear weapon-...