Sec. 3115. Nuclear weapon design responsiveness program

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It is the sense of Congress that— a modern and responsive nuclear weapons infrastructure is only one component of a nuclear posture that is agile, flexible, and responsive to change; and to ensure the nuclear deterrent of the United States remains safe, secure, reliable, credible, and responsive, the United States must continually exercise all capabilities required to conceptualize, study, design, develop, engineer, certify, produce, and deploy nuclear weapons. Subtitle A of title XLII of the Atomic Energy Defense Act ( 50 U.S.C. 2521 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

It is the policy of the United States to sustain, enhance, and continually exercise all capabilities required to conceptualize, study, design, develop, engineer, certify, produce, and deploy nuclear weapons to ensure the nuclear deterrent of the United States remains safe, secure, reliable, credible, and responsive. The Secretary of Energy, acting through the Administrator and in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall carry out a program, along with the stockpile stewardship program under section 4201 and the stockpile management program under section 4204, to sustain, enhance, and continually exercise all capabilities required to conceptualize, study, design, develop, engineer, certify, produce, and deploy nuclear weapons.

The program under subsection

(b)shall have the following objectives: Correct deficiencies in, identify, sustain, enhance, and continually exercise all capabilities required to carry out all phases of the joint nuclear weapons life cycle process, with respect to both the nuclear security enterprise and relevant elements of the Department of Defense. Identify, enhance, and transfer knowledge, skills, and direct experience with respect to all phases of the joint nuclear weapons life cycle process from one generation of nuclear weapon designers and engineers to the following generation. Identify, sustain, and enhance the capabilities, infrastructure, tools, and technologies required for all phases of the joint nuclear weapons life cycle process. Periodically demonstrate nuclear weapon design responsiveness throughout the range of capabilities required, including prototypes, flight testing, and development of plans for certification without the need for nuclear explosive testing. Continually exercise processes for the integration and coordination of all relevant elements and processes of the Administration and the Department of Defense required to ensure nuclear weapon design responsiveness. In this section, the term joint nuclear weapons life cycle process means the process developed and maintained by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy for the development, production, maintenance, and retirement of nuclear weapons. . The table of contents for such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 4219 the following new item: Sec. 4220. Nuclear weapon design responsiveness program. . Section 4203 of such Act ( 50 U.S.C. 2523 ) is amended— in subsection (a), by inserting design responsiveness, after stockpile management, ; in subsection (c)— by redesignating paragraphs

(5)and

(6)as paragraphs

(6)and (7), respectively; and by inserting after paragraphs

(4)the following new paragraph (5): A summary of the status, plans, and budgets for carrying out the nuclear weapons design responsiveness program under section 4220. ; in subsection (d)(1)— in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking stewardship and management and inserting stewardship, stockpile management, and design responsiveness ; in subparagraph (K), by striking ; and and inserting a semicolon; in subparagraph (L), by striking the period and inserting a semicolon; and by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs: the status, plans, activities, budgets, and schedules for carrying out the nuclear weapons design responsiveness program under section 4220; and for each of the five fiscal years following the fiscal year in which the report is submitted, an identification of the funds needed to carry out the program required under section 4220. ; and in subsection (e)(1)(A)— in clause (i), by striking ; and and inserting a semicolon; in clause (ii), by striking the period and inserting ; and ; and by adding at the end the following new clause: whether the plan supports the nuclear weapons design responsiveness program under section 4220 in a manner that meets the objectives of such program and an identification of any improvements that may be made to the plan to better carry out such program. . Section 4205(e)(4) of such Act ( 50 U.S.C. 2525(e)(4) ) is amended— in subparagraph (A), by striking ; and and inserting a semicolon; in subparagraph (B), by striking the period and inserting ; and ; and by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: the views of the Commander on the nuclear weapons design responsiveness program under section 4220, the activities conducted under such program, and any suggestions to improve such program. .

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50 USC 2521
50 USC 2523
50 USC 2525(e)(4)

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Sec. 3115

Nuclear weapon design responsiveness program

Cite50 USC 2521

Cite50 USC 2523

Cite50 USC 2525(e)(4)

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