II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 831 

To reduce the number of nuclear-armed submarines operated by the Navy, 

to prohibit the development of a new long-range penetrating bomber 

aircraft, to prohibit the procurement of new intercontinental ballistic 

missiles, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 23, 2015 

Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. MERKLEY, and Mr. FRANKEN) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To reduce the number of nuclear-armed submarines operated 

by the Navy, to prohibit the development of a new longrange penetrating bomber aircraft, to prohibit the procurement of new intercontinental ballistic missiles, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Smarter Approach to 

5 Nuclear Expenditures Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 831 IS

1 (1) The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the Soviet 

2 Union no longer exists, and the Cold War is over. 

3 The nature of threats to the national security and 

4 military interests of the United States has changed. 

5 However, the United States continues to maintain 

6 an enormous arsenal of nuclear weapons and deliv7 ery systems that were devised with the Cold War in 

8 mind. 

9 (2) The current nuclear arsenal of the United 

10 States includes approximately 5,000 total nuclear 

11 warheads, of which approximately 2,000 are de12 ployed with three delivery components: long-range 

13 strategic bomber aircraft, land-based interconti14 nental ballistic missiles, and submarine-launched 

15 ballistic missiles. The bomber fleet of the United 

16 States comprises 93 B–52 and 20 B–2 aircraft. The 

17 United States maintains 450 intercontinental bal18 listic missiles. The United States also maintains 14 

19 Ohio-class submarines, up to 12 of which are de20 ployed at sea. Each of those submarines is armed 

21 with up to 96 independently targetable nuclear war22 heads. 

23 (3) This Cold War-based approach to nuclear 

24 security comes at significant cost. Over the next 10 

25 years, the United States will spend hundreds of bilVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:13 Mar 28, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S831.IS S831

smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 831 IS

1 lions of dollars maintaining its nuclear force. A sub2 stantial decrease in spending on the nuclear arsenal 

3 of the United States is prudent for both the budget 

4 and national security. 

5 (4) The national security interests of the 

6 United States can be well served by reducing the 

7 total number of deployed nuclear warheads and their 

8 delivery systems, as stated by the Department of 

9 Defense’s June 2013 nuclear policy guidance enti10 tled, ‘‘Report on Nuclear Employment Strategy of 

11 the United States’’. This guidance found that force 

12 levels under the Treaty on Measures for the Further 

13 Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive 

14 Arms, signed on April 8, 2010, and entered into 

15 force on February 5, 2011, between the United 

16 States and the Russian Federation (commonly 

17 known as the ‘‘New START Treaty’’) ‘‘are more 

18 than adequate for what the United States needs to 

19 fulfill its national security objectives’’ and that the 

force can be reduced by up to 1 20 ⁄3 below levels under 

21 the New START Treaty to 1,000 to 1,100 war22 heads. 

23 (5) Even without additional reductions in de24 ployed strategic warheads, the United States can 

25 save tens of billions of dollars by deploying those 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 831 IS

1 warheads more efficiently on delivery systems and by 

2 deferring production of new delivery systems until 

3 they are needed. 

4 (6) Economic security and national security are 

5 linked and both will be well served by smart defense 

6 spending. Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the 

7 Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated on June 24, 2010, 

8 ‘‘Our national debt is our biggest national security 

9 threat’’ and on August 2, 2011, stated, ‘‘I haven’t 

10 changed my view that the continually increasing 

11 debt is the biggest threat we have to our national se12 curity.’’. 

13 (7) The Government Accountability Office has 

14 found that there is significant waste in the construc15 tion of the nuclear facilities of the National Nuclear 

16 Security Administration of the Department of En17 ergy. 

18 SEC. 3. REDUCTION IN NUCLEAR FORCES. 

19 (a) PROHIBITION ON NEW LONG-RANGE PENE20 TRATING BOMBER AIRCRAFT.—Notwithstanding any 

21 other provision of law, none of the funds authorized to 

22 be appropriated or otherwise made available for any of fis23 cal years 2015 through 2024 for the Department of De24 fense may be obligated or expended for the research, develVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:13 Mar 28, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S831.IS S831

smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 831 IS

1 opment, test, and evaluation or procurement of a long2 range penetrating bomber aircraft. 

3 (b) PROHIBITION ON F–35 NUCLEAR MISSION.— 

4 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the 

5 funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made 

6 available for fiscal year 2015 or any fiscal year thereafter 

7 for the Department of Defense or the Department of En8 ergy may be used to make the F–35 Joint Strike Fighter 

9 aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons. 

10 (c) REDUCTION IN THE B61 LIFE EXTENSION PRO11 GRAM.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none 

12 of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise 

13 made available for fiscal year 2015 or any fiscal year 

14 thereafter for the Department of Defense or the Depart15 ment of Energy may be obligated or expended for the B61 

16 life extension program until the Secretary of Defense and 

17 the Secretary of Energy jointly certify to Congress that 

18 the total cost of the B61 life extension program has been 

19 reduced to not more than $4,000,000,000. 

20 (d) TERMINATION OF W78 LIFE EXTENSION PRO21 GRAM.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none 

22 of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise 

23 made available for fiscal year 2015 or any fiscal year 

24 thereafter for the Department of Defense or the DepartVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:13 Mar 28, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S831.IS S831

smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 831 IS

1 ment of Energy may be obligated or expended for the W78 

2 life extension program. 

3 (e) REDUCTION OF NUCLEAR-ARMED SUB4 MARINES.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 

5 beginning in fiscal year 2021, the forces of the Navy shall 

6 include not more than eight ballistic-missile submarines 

7 available for deployment. 

8 (f) LIMITATION ON SSBN–X SUBMARINES.—Not9 withstanding any other provision of law— 

10 (1) none of the funds authorized to be appro11 priated or otherwise made available for any of fiscal 

12 years 2015 through 2024 for the Department of De13 fense may be obligated or expended for the procure14 ment of an SSBN–X submarine; and 

15 (2) none of the funds authorized to be appro16 priated or otherwise made available for fiscal year 

17 2025 or any fiscal year thereafter for the Depart18 ment of Defense may be obligated or expended for 

19 the procurement of more than eight such sub20 marines. 

21 (g) PROHIBITION ON NEW INTERCONTINENTAL BAL22 LISTIC MISSILE.—Notwithstanding any other provision of 

23 law, none of the funds authorized to be appropriated or 

24 otherwise made available for any of fiscal years 2015 

25 through 2024 for the Department of Defense may be obliVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:13 Mar 28, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S831.IS S831

smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 831 IS

1 gated or expended for the research, development, test, and 

2 evaluation or procurement of a new intercontinental bal3 listic missile. 

4 (h) TERMINATION OF MIXED OXIDE FUEL FABRICA5 TION FACILITY PROJECT.—Notwithstanding any other 

6 provision of law, none of the funds authorized to be appro7 priated or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2015 

8 or any fiscal year thereafter for the Department of De9 fense or the Department of Energy may be obligated or 

10 expended for the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility 

11 project. 

12 (i) TERMINATION OF URANIUM PROCESSING FACIL13 ITY.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none 

14 of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise 

15 made available for fiscal year 2015 or any fiscal year 

16 thereafter for the Department of Defense or the Depart17 ment of Energy may be obligated or expended for the Ura18 nium Processing Facility located at the Y–12 National Se19 curity Complex, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. 

20 (j) PROHIBITION ON NEW AIR LAUNCHED CRUISE

21 MISSILE.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 

22 none of the funds authorized to be appropriated or other23 wise made available for fiscal year 2015 or any fiscal year 

24 thereafter for the Department of Defense or the Depart25 ment of Energy may be obligated or expended for the reVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:13 Mar 28, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S831.IS S831

smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 831 IS

1 search, development, test, and evaluation or procurement 

2 of a new air-launched cruise missile or for the W80 war3 head life extension program. 

4 SEC. 4. REPORTS REQUIRED. 

5 (a) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

6 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

7 Defense and the Secretary of Energy shall jointly submit 

8 to the appropriate committees of Congress a report out9 lining the plan of each Secretary to carry out section 3. 

10 (b) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than March 1, 

11 2016, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Defense 

12 and the Secretary of Energy shall jointly submit to the 

13 appropriate committees of Congress a report outlining the 

14 plan of each Secretary to carry out section 3, including 

15 any updates to previously submitted reports. 

16 (c) ANNUAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS ACCOUNTING.— 

17 Not later than September 30, 2016, and annually there18 after, the President shall transmit to the appropriate com19 mittees of Congress a report containing a comprehensive 

20 accounting by the Director of the Office of Management 

21 and Budget of the amounts obligated and expended by the 

22 Federal Government for each nuclear weapon and related 

23 nuclear program during— 

24 (1) the fiscal year covered by the report; and 

25 (2) the life cycle of such weapon or program. 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 831 IS

1 (d) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE2 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate commit3 tees of Congress’’ means— 

4 (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

5 Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on 

6 Appropriations, and the Committee on Energy and 

7 Natural Resources of the Senate; and 

8 (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

9 Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on 

10 Appropriations, the Committee on Energy and Com11 merce, and the Committee on Natural Resources of 

12 the House of Representatives. 

Æ 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS