Nuclear Weapons: NNSA and DOD Need to More Effectively Manage the Stockpile Life Extension Program

Resource Information

The work Nuclear Weapons: NNSA and DOD Need to More Effectively Manage the Stockpile Life Extension Program represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Boston University Libraries. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Label

Nuclear Weapons: NNSA and DOD Need to More Effectively Manage the Stockpile Life Extension Program

Contributor

• GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE WASHINGTON DC

Subject

• Administration and management
• Bombs
• Costs
• Department of defense
• Life expectancy(service life)
• Nuclear warheads
• Nuclear weapons
• Nuclear weapons
• Stockpiles

Language

eng

Summary

NNSA and DOD have not effectively managed cost, schedule, and technical risks for either the B61 or W76 life extension program. Regarding the B61 program, although NNSA completed the refurbishment of the strategic variants of the B61 bomb-the Mods 7 and 11-on schedule in November 2008, the refurbished weapons do not meet all refurbishment objectives. According to NNSA and DOD officials, NNSA established an unrealistic schedule and failed to fully implement its refurbishment guidance, known as the Phase 6.X process. NNSA was able to meet its refurbishment schedule and avoid significant cost overruns for the B61 program only because (1) some of the refurbishment objectives were changed, (2) NNSA was able to reuse, rather than manufacture, a critical component when B61 bombs were decommissioned, and (3) the Nuclear Weapons Council significantly reduced the number of B61 bombs in the stockpile. Despite DOD concerns about the adequacy of NNSA testing of the B61 bombs under certain conditions, NNSA continued refurbishing the weapons. Some of the B61 refurbishment problems could have been avoided if DOD had fulfilled its roles and responsibilities in overseeing NNSA's life extension program activities. For example, the Air Force did not adequately review NNSA's design, engineering, and testing activities-a review that would have alerted DOD that NNSA was missing some of its refurbishment objectives

Cataloging source

DTICE

Index

no index present

Literary form

non fiction

Target audience

adult