NUCLEAR WEAPONS

NNSA Should Adopt Additional Best Practices to Better Manage Risk for Life Extension Programs

Weapons in the U.S. nuclear stockpile are aging. NNSA and the Department of Defense undertake LEPs to refurbish or replace nuclear weapons’ aging components. Prior LEPs experienced cost overruns, schedule delays, and scope reductions, and prior GAO reports identified the need for NNSA to use EVM and conduct TRAs to address program risks. In 2013, NNSA developed a management approach for LEPs that it regards as an improvement and currently manages three LEPs using its revised approach. NNSA and its contractors conduct the work associated with these LEPs at seven sites across the country...