May 29, 2014

NNSA RELEASES FY 2015 STOCKPILE STEWARDSHIP AND MGMT. PLAN

By ExchangeMonitor

The National Nuclear Security Administration unveiled its Fiscal Year 2015 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan late Friday afternoon, revealing updated costs figures for the agency’s rebalanced “3+2” warhead modernization strategy. The NNSA delayed work on the first interoperable warhead, cruise missile warhead and the First Production Units for the B61 refurbishment and W88 Alteration 370 this year because of budgetary concerns, and it said that the current plan is “generally affordable and more executable than the program proposed in the FY 2014 SSMP.” Funding for the NNSA’s weapons program under the plan is estimated to peak at between $13-15 billion by FY 2039.

The 128-page document also outlines revised cost estimates for future life extension work, including some eye-popping estimates for the three interoperable warheads that are planned. The NNSA’s portion of the first interoperable warhead, which would consolidate the W78 and W88 warheads, is estimated to cost $10.2-12.5 billion (in escalated dollars). The second interoperable warhead is estimated to cost $13.4-15.8 billion, and the third interoperable warhead is projected to cost between $17.6-21.8 billion. Work on both warheads is projected to take place from FY 2023-2051. The cruise missile warhead refurbishment is expected to cost between $5.8-7.6 billion.

Comments are closed.