SITE DESCRIPTION - NNSA FY2005 Congressional Budget Request (617-621)

History
In December 1950, President Harry S. Truman announced the establishment of the Nevada Proving Grounds – forerunner of the Nevada Test Site. A total of 928 nuclear tests (100 atmospheric, 828 underground) were conducted at the Nevada Test Site. The current and future missions at the Nevada Test Site are consistent with the Stockpile Stewardship and Management Preliminary Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), December 1996, the Nevada Test Site, Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS), December 1996, and the Supplemental Analysis to the Nevada Test Site, SWEIS, July 2002.

Management
The primary contractor is Bechtel Nevada (BN) Corporation (composed of Bechtel Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and Johnson Controls Worldwide Services). The Management and Operating (M&O) contract, originally scheduled to terminate on December 31, 2000, was extended to September 30, 2005.

WEAPONS ACTIVITIES:

Directed Stockpile Work
The Nevada Test Site will develop and execute Subcritical Experiments (SCEs) as defined by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to meet certification needs. The work scope includes project management; SCE and laser experiments; test bed construction, development, and design; and procurement and operation of diagnostics systems. Also included are diagnostic development activities required to support future experiments, including control systems, data acquisition, and data analysis. Scope of work for FY 2005 includes the execution and data recovery of Accordian experiment or SCE, diagnostic development for future SCEs, test bed construction for Accordian Prime.

Science Campaign

Bechtel Nevada (BN) provides test bed engineering and construction, diagnostics fielding, controls, and data reduction for the LLNL SCEs. Specifically, in FY 2005, BN will execute on Trumpets and Guitar SCEs.

During FY 2005, BN will also continue to analyze archived data from past nuclear events using modern computer systems and algorithms to support the LANL effort to better understand the existing database of nuclear event information. BN will also continue to support LLNL with diagnostic development and fielding of experiments in support of the Primary Assessment Technology activity, ($40M in FY 2005).

Test Readiness is designed to ensure that an underground nuclear test could be executed within the established time frame by maintaining critical personnel, equipment, and infrastructure resources. Working with the Department of Defense and the Nuclear Weapons Council (NWC), the NNSA began transition to an 18-month test readiness posture in FY 2003. As proposed by NNSA and approved by the Nuclear Weapons Council, and supported by the FY 2004 National Defense Authorization Act, the goal is to reach an 18 month underground nuclear test readiness posture by the end of FY 2005. The transition to an 18 month readiness posture is planned for completion by the end of FY 2005 with continuing maintenance activities for the foreseeable future.

BN will continue to support diagnostic development and fielding of experiments supporting the National Weapons Laboratories. BN will provide support to the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in experiments (e.g., Isentropic Compression experiments) and diagnostic development (e.g., VISAR and Pyrometry diagnostics). Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) experiments and diagnostic support at the Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research (JASPER) are planned to support both LANL and LLNL. BN will also support experiments and diagnostic leveraging gas gun capabilities at LANL. BN will also supplement LANL’s effort to conduct materials properties experiments on the Atlas machine at the Nevada Test Site by providing machine operation and diagnostic support. BN will continue to improve and field the unique diagnostics required to obtain Atlas data.

BN will continue to provide support to the LANL efforts on Dual-Axis Radiography Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) and other advanced radiography test beds.

BN, through the Secondary Assessment Technology activity, ($5.7M in FY 2005) will provide technical services at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), Omega, and LLNL Janus Lasers in support of LLNL. BN will continue to support SNL in Z Machine core diagnostic development and characterization on experiments, including X-ray, Optical, Neutron, other diagnostic-related capabilities, and calibration sources and processes.

Pit Manufacturing and Certification
The major activities during FY 2005 include the completion of the Unicorn and Krakatau SCEs and the preparation for future execution of Unicorn Prime and Pinto/Colt SCEs. BN will continue test bed construction operations at the Nevada Test Site and research and development work in direct support of the future SCEs.

Readiness in Technical Base and Facilities (RTBF)
Specific facilities include, Device Assembly Facility (DAF), U1a Complex, JASPER, Control Point Complex, Atlas, High Explosive Facility, BN Los Alamos Technical Facility, BN Livermore Technical Facility, and the North Las Vegas Complex. Key facility activities include sub-critical experiments at U1a, dynamic material property experiments at JASPER, nuclear material handling and weapons incident response at DAF, and pulse power experiments at Atlas. In FY 2005, the NTS Equipment Revitalization Program will continue to replace and modernize NTS equipment that is obsolete. The Atlas Relocation to the NTS project is nearing completion, and design will begin in FY 2004 on a project to Replace NTS Fire Station No. 2.

Nuclear Weapons Incident Response
NNSA’s Nuclear Emergency Search Team (NEST) is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada, for West Coast response and Andrews Air Force Base, near Washington, D.C., for East Coast response. The NEST can respond to any type of emergency involving radioactive materials in the U.S. or abroad.

Facilities and Infrastructure Recapitalization Program (FIRP)
The FIRP activities include incremental maintenance and infrastructure investments above the base needed to extend facility lifetimes, reduce the risk of unplanned facility system and facility equipment failures or increase operational efficiencies and effectiveness. Recapitalization addresses ongoing issues that aren’t addressed in current base efforts, by obviating the need for new replacement facilities and increasing facility and site operational efficiencies. Additionally this element will fund maintenance efforts that reduce maintenance backlogs, and eliminate the need for unplanned repairs for failed facility components. FIRP also has initiated the complexwide Roof Asset Management Program (RAMP) to establish and implement a corporate approach for the management of NNSA’s roofing assets, which is expected to result in improved cost efficiencies, improved quality of life extension of NNSA’s roofing assets, consistent approach and common standards for optimal roofing repairs and replacement, and additional deferred maintenance reduction.

Safeguards and Security
This program ensures the protection of NNSA facilities in an integrated, consistent, and complex-wide manner. The program provides Physical Security through a combination of operational security equipment, personnel and procedures to protect facilities, materials and information against theft, sabotage, diversion, or other criminal acts, and Cyber Security for defining and implementing policies and procedures for information protection and the design, development, integration, and deployment of all cyber security-related and infrastructure components at NNSA sites. The site has developed a Design Basis Threat (DBT) Implementation Plan to address new DBT protection requirements.

DEFENSE NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION

Non-Proliferation and International Security
Includes activities, as directed by Headquarters (HQ), to promote, through the use of technology,
the reduction of threats to national security and world peace posed by nuclear, chemical, and
biological weapons proliferation and illicit materials trafficking, and assist in fulfilling U.S.
commitments for treaty monitoring through development of technology.