Budget - National Nuclear Security Administration

and for critical infrastructure improvements. The Security and Nuclear Counterterrorism componentdecreases about 3 percent from the FY 2010 appropriated levels, attributable to continuing efficienciesin the Defense Nuclear Security programs and budget.This multi-year increase reflects the President’s commitment to maintain the safety, security andeffectiveness of the nuclear deterrent without underground nuclear testing, consistent with the principlesof the Stockpile Management Program outlined in Section 3113 (a)(2) of the National DefenseAuthorization Act of Fiscal Year 2010 (50 U.S.C. 2524). The nuclear security requirements driving thisbudget request include improvements to the safety and security of the enduring stockpile; a strengthenedscience, technology, and engineering (ST&E) base; and a recapitalized physical infrastructure. Theenterprise must also be responsive to an arguably more complex future national defense environmentthan the singular Cold-War context within which the legacy deterrent was built.The President’s Request provides funding necessary to protect and advance the scientific capabilities atthe U.S. national security laboratories — including the ability to design nuclear warheads as well asdevelopment and engineering expertise and capabilities—through a stockpile stewardship program thatfully exercises these capabilities.This budget request is responsive to FY 2010 Congressional direction to carry out a StockpileManagement program in support of stockpile stewardship that provides for effective management of theweapons in the nuclear weapons stockpile. This program will strengthen the stockpile activities,including life extension and surveillance; strengthen science, technology and engineering, including theworkforce; and modernize the aging infrastructure, especially special nuclear materials capabilities.The Stockpile Support component of this appropriation includes Directed Stockpile Work and thesupporting Readiness Campaign. The President’s Request is $2.0 billion, an increase of 25.2 percentover the FY 2010 appropriation. This provides for the Stockpile Management program, includingsurveillance, maintenance, assembly, disassembly and dismantlement activities, and will fully supportthe ongoing Life Extension Programs (LEP) for the W76 warhead and the refurbishment of the B61bomb. The budget request will enhance surveillance efforts, and ensure that capabilities and capacityare available so that future warhead life extension programs will allow for increased margin andenhanced warhead safety, security and control. The request will initiate a study in FY 2011 to evaluatefuture options and approaches to maintaining the W78, consistent with the principles of the StockpileManagement Program defined in Section 3113 (a)(2) of the National Defense Authorization Act ofFiscal Year 2010 (50 U.S.C. 2524).The Science, Technology and Engineering component of this appropriation includes the ScienceCampaign, Engineering Campaign, Inertial Confinement Fusion and High Yield Campaign, AdvancedSimulation and Computing Campaign, and Science, Technology and Engineering Capability. ThePresident’s Request of $1.6 billion is an increase of 10.4 percent over FY 2010 appropriations that willrestore sufficient funds for the science and technology that support stockpile assessment andcertification in the absence of nuclear testing. Within this request, the ICF Ignition and High Yieldcampaign is requested at $481.5 million. Construction of the National Ignition Facility was completedin FY 2009, and the first ignition campaign spanning FY 2010 to FY 2011 will attempt to compress,implode, and ignite a layered Deuterium-Tritium (DT) capsule with a ~1.3 megajoule energy pulse fromthe NIF. Regardless of the specific status of ignition, FY 2011 will present a very demanding agenda ofwork in the ignition effort. Results from the first ignition attempts in 2010 will be analyzed in detail,National Nuclear Security Administration/OverviewPage 10FY 2011 Congressional Budget