The agency has chosen two key management objectives for 

fiscal years (FY) 2014–2018 that focus on (1) human capital 

and (2) information management and information technology 

(IT) because of their high level of impact on the NRC’s safety 

and security goals. The selection of these particular objectives 

is consistent with the NRC Inspector General’s assessment of 

the agency’s top management challenges.

KEY MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES

n Management Objective 1: Human Capital. Attract, 

develop, and maintain a high-performing, diverse, engaged, 

and flexible workforce with the skills needed to adapt to 

workload changes and effectively carry out the NRC’s 

mission now and in the future.

n Management Objective 2 – Information Management and 

IT. Make it easier for NRC staff to perform their mission 

and to obtain the information they need from authoritative 

sources anytime, anywhere, on any device, while managing 

the risk of compromise of sensitive information.

ADDITIONAL MANAGEMENT 

OBJECTIVES

More generally, the agency will continue to improve the 

performance of all of its internal support functions, with a focus 

on helping the staff to achieve the agency’s safety and security 

goals while making the most efficient use of agency resources.

n Acquisitions: Acquire best-value goods and services in a 

timely manner to meet mission needs.

n Cyber and Information Security: Prevent unauthorized 

disclosures or modifications of NRC information and 

minimize disruption of the NRC’s mission.

n Financial Management: Improve the efficiency of financial 

systems and processes and the usefulness of the financial 

information they produce for management decisionmaking.

n Financial Stewardship: Maintain appropriate 

accountability and controls to ensure effective use of 

government resources.

n Internal Customer Services: Improve the accessibility, 

delivery, and utility of the services that employees and 

organizational units need to work effectively.

n Performance Management: Increase the use of resultsoriented performance indicators at all levels and improve the 

utility of performance data for agency decisionmaking.

n Space and Facilities Management: Optimize the use 

of space to maintain the NRC’s regulatory effectiveness, 

operational efficiency, and emergency-response capability 

and provide a physically safe and secure work environment 

for personnel, information, facilities, and equipment.
ABOUT THE NRC

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or 

agency) is an independent agency that was established 

by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 and 

began operations in 1975. Congress established the 

NRC to regulate the Nation’s civilian commercial, 

industrial, academic, and medical uses of nuclear 

materials. The NRC is headed by five Commissioners 

appointed by the President of the United States, with 

the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate, to serve 

staggered 5-year terms. The President designates 

one of the Commissioners to serve as Chairman.

The NRC’s scope of responsibility includes the 

regulation of commercial nuclear power plants; research 

and test reactors; nuclear fuel cycle facilities; medical, 

academic, and industrial uses of radioactive materials; 

the decommissioning of these facilities and sites; and 

the transport, storage, and disposal of radioactive 

materials and wastes. The agency issues licenses 

for civilian uses of radioactive materials, oversees 

the licensees, and certifies standard nuclear reactor 

designs and spent fuel storage casks and transportation 

packages. The NRC provides consultation to the U.S. 

Department of Energy (DOE) about disposal options 

for waste incidental to reprocessing and monitors DOE’s 

disposal actions for incidental waste. The agency also 

licenses the import and export of radioactive materials; 

participates in international nuclear activities, including 

multilateral and bilateral safety and security activities; 

and works closely with its international counterparts 

to enhance nuclear safety and security worldwide.

STRATEGIC PLAN 

FISCAL YEARS 2014-2018

SUMMARY

MISSION

The NRC licenses and regulates the Nation’s civilian use of 

radioactive materials to protect public health and safety, 

promote the common defense and security, and protect 

the environment.

VISION

A trusted, independent, transparent, and effective nuclear 

regulator.

STRATEGIC GOALS

GOAL 1: Ensure the safe use of radioactive materials.

GOAL 2: Ensure the secure use of radioactive materials.

The NRC’s two strategic goals are the results the agency 

must achieve to successfully carry out its mission and are the 

foundation for the rest of the plan. 

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

n Prevent and mitigate accidents and ensure radiation safety

n Ensure protection of nuclear facilities and radioactive 

materials

n Ensure protection of classified and Safeguards information

SAFETY STRATEGIES

n Safety Strategy 1: Enhance the NRC’s regulatory programs, 

as appropriate, using lessons learned from domestic and 

international operating experience and other sources.

n Safety Strategy 2: Enhance the risk-informed and 

performance-based regulatory framework in response to 

advances in science and technology, policy decisions, and 

other factors.

n Safety Strategy 3: Ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of 

licensing and certification activities to maintain both quality 

and timeliness of licensing and certification reviews.

n Safety Strategy 4: Maintain effective and consistent 

oversight of licensee performance to drive continued licensee 

compliance with NRC safety requirements and license 

conditions.

n Safety Strategy 5: Ensure the NRC’s readiness to respond to 

incidents and emergencies involving NRC-licensed facilities 

and radioactive materials and other events of domestic and 

international interest.

n Safety Strategy 6: Ensure that nuclear facilities are 

constructed in accordance with approved designs and that 

there is an effective transition from oversight of construction 

to oversight of operation.

n Safety Strategy 7: Ensure that the environmental and site 

safety regulatory infrastructure is adequate to support the 

issuance of new nuclear licenses.

SECURITY STRATEGIES

n Security Strategy 1: Ensure the effectiveness and efficiency 

of the regulatory framework using information gained from 

operating experience and external and internal assessments 

and in response to technology advances and changes in the 

threat environment.

n Security Strategy 2: Maintain effective and consistent 

oversight of licensee performance to drive continued licensee 

compliance with NRC security requirements and license 

conditions.

n Security Strategy 3: Support U.S. national security interests 

and nuclear nonproliferation policy objectives within the 

NRC’s statutory mandate through cooperation with 

domestic and international partners.

n Security Strategy 4: Ensure material control and accounting 

for special nuclear materials.

n Security Strategy 5: Protect critical digital assets.

n Security Strategy 6: Ensure timely distribution of security 

information to stakeholders and international partners.

n Security Strategy 7: Ensure that programs for the handling 

and control of classified and Safeguards information are 

effectively implemented at the NRC and at licensee facilities.

REGULATORY EFFECTIVENESS

The NRC’s regulatory effectiveness strategies address key 

aspects of the way that the NRC conducts its regulatory 

activities to best achieve its goals and objectives. 

These strategies are:

n Regulatory Effectiveness Strategy 1: Proactively identify, 

assess, understand, and resolve safety and security issues.

n Regulatory Effectiveness Strategy 2: Regulate in a manner 

that effectively and efficiently manages known risks and 

threats, clearly communicates requirements, and ensures 

that regulations are consistently applied, are practical, and 

accommodate technology changes in a timely manner.

n Regulatory Effectiveness Strategy 3: Integrate safety 

and security programs to identify and avoid unintended 

consequences.

OPENNESS

The NRC conducts its regulatory activities as openly as possible 

with meaningful stakeholder involvement. The NRC Approach 

to Open Government1 is to provide opportunities for the public 

to participate meaningfully in the NRC’s decisionmaking 

process. The avenues and resources for participation are fully 

described in the Public Participation section2 of the agency’s 

public Web site.

The NRC’s openness strategies are: 

n Openness Strategy 1—Transparency: Make clear 

information about the NRC’s responsibilities and activities 

accessible to stakeholders.

n Openness Strategy 2—Participation: Enhance interaction 

with the public and other stakeholders through use of social 

media and further enable opportunities for meaningful 

participation in, and mutual understanding of, NRC 

regulatory processes.

n Openness Strategy 3—Collaboration: Promote domestic 

and global nuclear safety and security by creating and taking 

advantage of opportunities to increase collaboration and 

share best practices with other Federal agencies, with State, 

local, and Tribal governments, and with the international 

regulatory community.

1 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, “The NRC Approach to Open Government,” 

available at http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/open.html (accessed on May 30, 2014). 2 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, “Public Participation,” available at http://www.nrc.

gov/public-involve/open/public-participation.html (accessed on May 30, 2014).