WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Dec. 28, the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan (SSMP).

The FY 2021 SSMP comprehensively lays out DOE/NNSA’s plans to ensure the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile and to maintain the scientific and engineering tools, capabilities, and infrastructure that underpin the Nuclear Security Enterprise. In particular, this report describes DOE/NNSA’s plan to achieve the program requirements of producing 80 plutonium pits per year during 2030; achieving the first production unit of the W80-4 Life Extension Program and W87-1 Modernization Program by FY 2025 and FY 2030, respectively; and delivering the first production units of the B61-12 Life Extension Program and the W88 Alteration 370 warheads. The SSMP supports the President’s budget request to Congress for Weapons Activities and fulfills statutory requirements under 50 USC 2523, as well as other related congressional reporting requirements.

“Nuclear deterrence has been, and remains, the cornerstone of our Nation’s security posture, and its credibility serves as the ultimate insurance policy against a nuclear attack. DOE/NNSA is the only organization that can sustain the Nation’s nuclear stockpile, as well as the nuclear propulsion systems of the U.S. Navy’s submarines and aircraft carriers,” said Dr. William Bookless, Acting DOE Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and NNSA Administrator. “The SSMP outlines our strategy for maintaining the range of capabilities necessary to meet the needs of the deterrence mission now and into the future.”

NNSA also publishes the annual Prevent, Counter, and Respond: A Strategic Plan to Reduce Global Nuclear Threats (NPCR) report to Congress as a companion document to the SSMP, which outlines the equally vital missions to reduce the threats of nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism. Due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, NNSA has decided to release these reports separately this year. NNSA expects to release the NPCR in the near future.

The FY21 SSMP can be found online here.