§ 2524 — Stockpile Management Program

(a) The Secretary of Energy, acting through the Administrator and in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall carry out a program, in support of the stockpile stewardship program, to provide for the effective management, modernization, and replacement, as required, of the weapons in the nuclear weapons stockpile. The program shall have the following objectives: (1) To enhance the performance and reliability of the nuclear weapons stockpile of the United States. (2) To further reduce the likelihood of the resumption of underground nuclear weapons testing. (3) To maintain the safety and security of the nuclear weapons stockpile. (4) To optimize the future size of the nuclear weapons stockpile. (5) To reduce the risk of an accidental detonation of an element of the stockpile. (6) To reduce the risk of an element of the stockpile being used by a person or entity hostile to the United States, its vital interests, or its allies. (b) In carrying out the stockpile management program under subsection (a), the Secretary of Energy shall ensure that— (1) any changes made to the stockpile shall be consistent with the objectives identified in subsection (a); (2) any changes made to the stockpile consistent with the objectives identified in subsection (a) are carried out in a cost effective manner; and (3) any such changes made to the stockpile shall— (A) be well understood and certifiable without the need to resume underground nuclear weapons testing; (B) use the design, certification, and production expertise resident in the nuclear security enterprise to fulfill current mission requirements of the existing stockpile; and (C) develop future generations of design, certification, and production expertise in the nuclear security enterprise to support the fulfillment of mission requirements of the future stockpile. (c) In accordance with the requirements under section 2529 of this title, for each budget submitted by the President to Congress under section 1105 of title 31, the amounts requested for the program under this section shall be clearly identified in the budget justification materials submitted to Congress in support of that budget.