Energy and Water Development
April 19, 2023
Appropriations for Defense Nuclear
Mary Beth D. Nikitin
Nonproliferation: In Brief
Specialist in
Nonproliferation
The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) nonproliferation and national security programs
provide technical capabilities to support U.S. efforts to reduce the threat of nuclear
weapons proliferation and nuclear terrorism. These programs are administered by the
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi-autonomous agency established within DOE in 2000.
NNSA is responsible for maintaining the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, providing nuclear fuel to the Navy,
nuclear and radiological emergency response, and nuclear nonproliferation activities.
This report gives an overview of annual appropriations for the DOE NNSA Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
(DNN) account. The National Defense Authorization Act authorizes these programs, for which funds are
appropriated in the annual Energy and Water Appropriations bill. The FY2024 DOE request for DNN
appropriations was $2.51 billion, an increase of .8% over the FY2023-enacted level, which was $2.49 billion.
Energy and Water Development FY2023 appropriations for these programs were enacted as part of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328, Division D).
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Energy & Water Development Appropriations for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Budget Structure .............................................................................................................................. 1
FY2024 Request .............................................................................................................................. 2
FY2023 Appropriations ................................................................................................................... 3
Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program ......................................................................................... 3
Tables
Table 1. DOE Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Appropriation, FY2022-FY2024 ....................... 2
Contacts
Author Information .......................................................................................................................... 4
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Energy & Water Development Appropriations for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
Introduction
The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) nonproliferation and national security programs provide
technical capabilities to support U.S. efforts to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons proliferation
and nuclear terrorism. These programs are administered by the National Nuclear Security
Administration (NNSA), a semi-autonomous agency established within DOE in 2000. NNSA is
responsible for maintaining the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, providing nuclear reactors and
fuel to the Navy, nuclear and radiological emergency response, and nuclear nonproliferation
activities.
This report gives an overview of annual appropriations for the DOE NNSA Defense Nuclear
Nonproliferation (DNN) account. The National Defense Authorization Act authorizes these
programs
, for which funds are appropriated in the annual Energy and Water Appropriations bill.
The FY2024 DOE request for DNN appropriations was $2.51 billion, an increase of 0.8% over
the FY2023
-enacted level, which was $2.49 billion. Energy and Water Development FY2023
appropriations for these programs were enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2023 (P.L. 117-328, Division D).
Budget Structure
There are two main mission areas under the DNN appropriation: the Defense Nuclear
Nonproliferation Program and the Nuclear Counterterrorism and Incident Response Program
(NCTIR).1 The FY2024 DNN request is divided into the following functional areas:
Material Management and Minimization (M3) conducts activities to reduce
and, where possible, eliminate stockpiles of weapons-useable material around the
world. Major activities include conversion of reactors that use highly enriched
uranium (useable for weapons) to low enriched uranium, removal and
consolidation of nuclear material stockpiles, and disposition of excess nuclear
materials such as excess U.S. weapons plutonium.
Global Material Security (GMS) has three major program elements:
international nuclear security, radiological security, and nuclear smuggling
detection and deterrence. Activities toward achieving those goals include the
provision of equipment and training, workshops and exercises, and collaboration
with international organizations.
Nonproliferation and Arms Control (NPAC) implements programs that aim to
strengthen international nuclear safeguards, control the spread of dual-use
(weapons or peaceful applications) technologies and expertise, and verify nuclear
reductions and compliance with treaties and agreements. This program conducts
reviews of nuclear export applications and technology transfer authorizations.
The
Bioassurance Program aims to expand DOE’s role in biodefense and
develop national laboratory capabilities “to anticipate, detect, assess, and mitigate
emerging biothreats.” This program began in FY2023.
Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development (DNN R&D)
advances U.S. capabilities to detect and characterize global nuclear security
1 The DNN programs were reorganized starting with the FY2016 request. NCTIR was previously funded under
Weapons Activities. There are three offices under the DNN appropriations: Office of DNN, Office of Counterterrorism
and Counterproliferation (CTCP), and Office of Emergency Operations (EO).
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Energy & Water Development Appropriations for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
threats such as foreign nuclear material and weapons production, diversion of
special nuclear material, and nuclear detonations.
The
Nonproliferation Construction program disposes of excess U.S. weapons
plutonium through a “dilute and dispose” strategy (see below).
The
Nuclear Counterterrorism and Incident Response Program (NCTIR)
evaluates nuclear and radiological threats and develops emergency preparedness
plans, including organizing scientific teams to provide rapid response to nuclear
or radiological incidents or accidents worldwide.
Table 1. DOE Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Appropriation, FY2022-FY2024
($ thousands)
FY2022
FY2023
FY2024
Enacted
Enacted
Request
Material Management and
342,946
464,285
446,025
Minimization
Global Material Security
531,441
532,763
524,048
Nonproliferation and Arms
184,795
230,656
212,358
Control
NNSA Bioassurance
0
20,000
25,000
Defense Nuclear
729,236
767,902
728,187
Nonproliferation R&D
Nonproliferation
156,000
71,764
77,211
Construction
Nuclear Counterterrorism
370,782
469,970
493,543
Legacy Contractor
38,800
55,708
22,587
Pensions
Subtotal
2,354,000
2,613,048
2,528,959
Use of Prior Year Balances
0
-123,048
-20,000
Rescission of Prior Year
-282,133
Balances
Total
2,354,000
2,490,000
2,508,959
Source: Department of Energy Congressional Budget Requests, Volume 1.
FY2024 Request
The FY2024 request for DNN appropriations was $2.51 billion, an increase of 0.8% over the
FY2023-enacted level. The DOE congressional budget request attributes this change mainly to
increases for the Nuclear Counterterrorism program. The increase is to improve the Nuclear
Incident Response (NIR)/Nuclear Emergency Support Team’s (NEST’s) “capacity for emergency
response and interagency partner technical training” and for National Technical Nuclear Forensics
(NTNF), to “bridge a long-standing gap between research and development activities geared
toward technology transition and operational capabilities.”
The FY2024 budget request also includes funding in the three GMS subprograms to support
nuclear material security and counter smuggling activities in Ukraine, and to “be employed to
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assist Ukrainian partners to rebuild and strengthen critical nuclear and radiological security
infrastructure when conditions allow.”
FY2023 Appropriations
The FY2023 request for DNN appropriations totaled $2.346 billion, reflecting a 13.2% increase
over the FY2022-enacted levels. The FY2023 budget proposal requested a $37.2 million, or 10%,
increase in funding for the Material Management Minimization program. The increase was
mainly for the conversion subprogram, which is working to establish molybdenum-99 production
technologies in the United States that do not use high enriched uranium (HEU), which can be
used for nuclear weapons. The Energy and Water Development FY2023 appropriations for these
programs totaled $2.49 billion, enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L.
117-328, Division D). The FY2023 Supplemental Appropriations bills provided $35 million and
$126.3 million for DNN activities in Ukraine.
As in past years, the FY2023 appropriations included a provision prohibiting funds in the Defense
Nuclear Nonproliferation account from being used for certain activities and assistance in the
Russian Federation. Appropriations bills have prohibited this since FY2015, although a waiver is
allowed.2
The House passed the FY2023 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill December 23,
2022, as part of the FY2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 117-328). The House-passed
measure included DNN appropriations of $2.424 billion, the same as recommended by the House
Appropriations Committee and an increase of $77.7 million over the Administration request. The
House Appropriations Committee report on the FY2023 Energy and Water Development funding
bill (H.Rept. 117-394) recommended $20 million for the University Consortia for Nuclear
Nonproliferation Research. It also specified $25 million for the Green Border Security Initiative
within NSDD and “recognizes the importance of improving the security of border crossings to
prevent nuclear smuggling and accelerating partnerships, particularly within Eastern Europe.”
The Senate Appropriations Committee majority draft bill for FY2023 energy and water
development appropriations allocated $2.095 billion for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, to
include $30 million for the uranium reserve program.3
Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program
The United States pledged to dispose of 34 metric tons of U.S. surplus weapons plutonium, which
was originally to be converted into fuel for commercial power reactors.4 The U.S. facility for this
purpose was to be the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF), which had been under
construction at the DOE Savannah River site in South Carolina. The MFFF faced sharply
escalating construction and operation cost estimates, and the Obama Administration proposed to
2 See the 2017 version of this report for more detailed background information.
3 See CRS In Focus IF11505,
Uranium Reserve Program Proposal: Policy Implications, by Lance N. Larson.
4 Disposition of surplus plutonium is required by a 1998 agreement, amended in 2010, between the United States and
the Russian Federation. Each country agreed to convert 34 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium to a form
that could not be returned to nuclear weapons, to begin in 2018. Russia suspended its participation in the agreement in
October 2016 due to what it called “hostile actions” by the United States. Both countries appear to be continuing their
plans for surplus plutonium disposition. See CRS Report R43125,
Mixed-Oxide Fuel Fabrication Plant and Plutonium
Disposition: Management and Policy Issues, by Mark Holt and Mary Beth D. Nikitin.
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Energy & Water Development Appropriations for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
terminate it in FY2017. After congressional approval, in 2018 DOE ended MFFF construction
and began pursuing a replacement disposal method, Dilute and Dispose (D&D), for this material.
This effort is called the Surplus Plutonium Disposition (SPD) Program.
The D&D method consists of “blending plutonium with an inert mixture, packaging it for safe
storage and transport, and disposing of it in a geologic repository,” according to the FY2024
request. Under the D&D method, plutonium is down-blended at Savannah River then shipped as
transuranic waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico. The Environmental
Impact Statement for the project is expected to be completed in 2023, and the draft EIS was open
for public comment in early 2023.5
The FY2024 budget request provides for plutonium disposition related activities in the Material
Management and Minimization (Material Disposition subprogram) and the Nonproliferation
Construction accounts. The budget request says the SPD project “will add glovebox capacity at
the Savannah River Site to accelerate plutonium dilution and aid in the removal of plutonium
from the state of South Carolina.” In the coming years, NNSA plans to expand capability to
disassemble and convert plutonium cores or “pits” for disposal. The FY2024 request says NNSA
is completing the final design review to request approval and start full construction on the SPD
project in FY2024, which represents a delay and cost increase. The request says the NNSA is
“increasing the total project cost by $155 million resulting in a corresponding increase to the
high-end of the cost range which is $775 million” and extending the completion date to the fourth
quarter of FY2030. The budget request says that these changes are necessary due to design,
safety, and construction challenges “of integrating the new mission into the exisiting facility and
operations.” It also cites a lack of skilled professional and craft labor, which is also an issue for
other NNSA construction projects.
Author Information
Mary Beth D. Nikitin
Specialist in Nonproliferation
5 DOE/EIS-0549, https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0549-surplus-plutonium-disposition-program
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Energy & Water Development Appropriations for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
Disclaimer
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Congressional Research Service
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