Stockpile Stewardship Stockpile Stewardship Program NNSS employee testing the 3-Frame camera. The Birth of the Stockpile Assessment and Stewardship Program Certification History The Stockpile Stewardship Program The Stockpile Stewardship Program When the Nevada National Security (SSP) was established in response to utilizes several approaches to assess Site (NNSS) was established the 1994 National Defense Authorization and certify the nuclear weapons in 1950, it provided a ground Act (Public Law 103-160) which requires, stockpile. In the absence of nuclear for a burgeoning United States in the absence of nuclear testing, a testing, a wide variety of experiments nuclear weapons program. One program to: and analysis tools are used to obtain hundred atmospheric nuclear data relevant to nuclear warhead 1. Support a focused, multifaceted tests occurred at the site between performance. Of particular note is the program to increase the 1951 and 1962. When the United need to track changes as components understanding of the enduring States entered into an atmospheric within a warhead potentially age or stockpile; testing moratorium, all testing are replaced with newly-manufactured moved underground. In 1992, after 2. Predict, detect, and evaluate potential components through the process of 828 belowground nuclear tests were problems of the aging stockpile; Stockpile Life Extension (LEP) and carried out at the , the President modernization programs. Data from site 3. Refurbish and re-manufacture instituted a moratorium on all these experiments and improved weapons and components, as nuclear testing. Shortly thereafter, computer modeling allow scientists required; and the Stockpile Stewardship Program and engineers to develop a better was created by the Department of 4. Maintain the science and engineering understanding of the dynamic properties Energy’s Defense Programs Office institutions needed to support the of aging or replaced components in order to certify the safety and nation’s nuclear deterrent, now and in and help to provide confidence in the reliability of the nation’s nuclear the future. reliability and safety of the nuclear stockpile in the absence of nuclear weapons stockpile. A suite of enhanced As the civilian steward of the nation’s testing. Under the Stockpile capabilities and facilities across the nuclear weapons complex, the U.S. Stewardship Program, nuclear Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE) Department of Energy (DOE) National weapons activities at the NNSS (which includes weapons laboratories, Nuclear Security Administration is were focused on non-nuclear production plants and the NNSS) have responsible for the safety and reliability experimentation to inform predictive been developed to fill in the knowledge of the nation’s nuclear arsenal. The models used in high-performance gaps and to provide data relevant to U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) computing simulations that underpin partners with the DOE in performance, safety and reliability of setting requirements and the current and future stockpile. establishing production goals. A key challenge to the SSP is to balance military weapon performance goals against civilian and military surety and safety concerns. Adjusting the JASPER Gun. both identified and yet-to-be identified testing facility at the NNSS. BEEF stockpile concerns. Capabilities specific provides data, through conventional to the NNSS include the following: high-explosive experiments, to support the SSP, along with a variety of new • Subcritical Experiments obtain experimental programs that expand technical information about the the nation’s non-nuclear experiment U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile in capabilities. the absence of nuclear testing. In subcritical experiments, chemical • Outlying sites of the NNSS provide staff high explosives generate high and technologies to support Stockpile pressures that are applied to nuclear Stewardship efforts weapon materials such as plutonium. in collaboration with laboratory The configuration and quantities of colleagues. NNSS engineers, scientists explosives and nuclear materials and technicians provide critical are such that no nuclear explosion experimental fielding support and will occur. Thus, the experiments develop sophisticated diagnostics are consistent with the existing U.S. required for present and future nuclear testing moratorium. Scientific Stewardship experiment needs at data are obtained on the behavior various facilities. These facilities of nuclear weapon materials by the include DARHT, LANSCE and use of a wide variety of sophisticated, DEOS at Los Alamos, New Mexico; high speed diagnostic instruments Livermore’s National Ignition Facility developed by the NNSS/MSTS in (NIF) and Contained Firing Facility; collaboration with National Laboratory Sandia’s Z-machine; and the MSTS partners (LANL, LLNL and SNL). Special Technologies Laboratory (STL) in Santa Barbara, California. • The Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research (JASPER) facility enables two-stage gas gun Program Thrusts experiments that generate data on plutonium material behavior under the The DOE weapons laboratories are extreme conditions encountered in engaged in a balanced and integrated nuclear weapons. JASPER represents program of computational simulation, a strong partnership between the fundamental scientific research and NNSS and Lawrence Livermore improved nuclear and non-nuclear National Laboratory to carry out experiments. Experimental data detailed measurements on small obtained from experiments conducted plutonium samples subjected to the at the NNSS are being used, together For more information, contact: high shock pressures, temperatures with past nuclear test results and other U.S. Department of Energy and strain rates that are required in experimental platforms across NNSA National Nuclear Security Administration predictive models of nuclear weapon sites, to assess the performance, safety Nevada Field Office performance. The JASPER gas gun and reliability of the stockpile. The data Office of Public Affairs projects a high-velocity projectile onto obtained at NNSS sites are being used P.O. Box 98518 a target containing special nuclear to develop and validate the physics Las Vegas, NV 89193-8518 material. models used in computer simulations that underpin current and future stockpile Phone: 702.295.3521 • The Big Explosives Experimental Fax: 702.295.0154 assessments. Facility (BEEF) is a hydrodynamic Email: [email protected] www.nnss.gov NNSS-SSPr-U-0037-Rev01 October 2020.