Todd Jacobson
NS&D Monitor
2/2/2015
The Obama Administration was widely criticized last year by arms control and disarmament experts for seeking to cut the National Nuclear Security Administration’s nonproliferation budget, but the Administration is looking to now stabilize funding for the NNSA’s nonproliferation account in its Fiscal Year 2016 request, released today, asking for $1.94 billion. The funding level represents a $299 million increase over the $1.6 billion Congress provided the program in FY 2015, but much of that funding increase is masked by a shift of Nuclear Counterterrorism Incident Response and Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation Programs from the agency’s weapons program to its nonproliferation account.
The Administration asked for $234.4 million in funding for the programs, meaning the actual increase for the NNSA’s nonproliferation program is approximately $65 million. “If you do an apples to apples comparison of those things you might consider core Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation activities from ‘15 enacted to the ‘16 request it’s about a 3 percent growth in those programs,” NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz told reporters today.
Klotz said the move of Nuclear Counterterrorism Incident Response and Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation Programs was made to better align the missions of the agency. The move “seems to make sense to us because we’re looking at that mission space as we look not just out into tomorrow but over the horizon in the future to being sort of a spectrum that moves from detect to counter to respond and it makes sense that we have all those gathered together in one organization,” Klotz said.
DNN Reorganization Highlighted in Budget Request
The FY16 request represents the first glimpse into funding for the reorganized Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation. Under the new organizational structure, the program’s work is broken up into four offices: an Office of Global Material Security, an Office of Material Management and Minimization (known as M-cubed), an Office of Nonproliferation and Arms Control, and an Office of Nonproliferation Research and Development. The Office of Nonproliferation Research and Development is the only office untouched by the reorganization, but Global Material Security and Material Management and Minimization include parts of the former Global Threat Reduction Initiative and International Material Protection and Cooperation programs.
Global Material Security includes international nuclear security, radiological security and nuclear smuggling detection and deterrence, and Material Management and Minimization consists of nonproliferation construction/program analysis, HEU reactor conversion, nuclear material removal, and material disposition.
Work With Russia Curtailed
The Administration requested $426.7 million for Global Material Security: $130.5 million for International Nuclear Security, $153.7 million for Radiological Security, and $142.5 million for Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence. The Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence program was formerly known as the Second Line of Defense Program when it was part of the International Materials Protection and Cooperation program, and it helped install radiation detection equipment at border crossings, seaports and other locations around the world. The Administration said the $142.5 million requested for Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence represented a $9 million decrease from FY 2015 funding levels due to the completion of high-priority sites around the world.
Work with Russia, however, has been significantly curtailed. The Administration said it will continue to pursue the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility as required by the Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement and will cooperate on some reactor conversions, but cooperation on other nuclear security measures has been cut off because of increasing tensions between the two countries. “Given the size of Russia’s material stockpiles, GMS will continue to look for partnership opportunities with Russia, on the general assumption that each side shall independently bear its costs related to cooperative activities,” the Administration said in budget documents. “The goal of these activities would be to further enhance global nuclear security best practices and radiological security.”
$311.6 Million Requested for Material Management and Minimization
The Administration requested $311.6 million for Material Management and Minimization, including $115 million for conversion and $82.6 million for material disposition, where funding was relatively flat. The Administration also requested $114 million for nuclear material removal, a $45.5 million increase over FY 2015 enacted funding, which it said was for the removal of highly enriched uranium from miniature neutron source reactors in Africa as well, as preparation for future shipments from Europe and Japan.
