H. R. 3979—594 
‘‘(i) shall submit to the congressional defense committees 
and the congressional intelligence committees the plan or 
update, as the case may be, without change; and 
‘‘(ii) may include, with the plan or update submitted under 
clause (i), the views of the Secretary with respect to the plan 
or update. 
‘‘(4)(A) The Secretary, in coordination with the directors, shall 
carry out the plan developed under paragraph (1), including the 
updates to the plan developed under paragraph (2). 
‘‘(B) The Secretary may determine the manner in which the 
designing and building of prototypes of nuclear weapons is carried 
out under such plan. 
‘‘(C) The Secretary shall promptly submit to the congressional 
defense committees and the congressional intelligence committees 
written notification of any changes the Secretary makes to such 
plan pursuant to subparagraph (B), including justifications for such 
changes.’’. 
(b) MATTERS INCLUDED.—Such section is further amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new sub-
section (b): 
‘‘(b) MATTERS INCLUDED.—(1) The directors shall ensure that 
the plan developed and updated under subsection (a) provides 
increased information upon which to base intelligence assessments 
and emphasizes the competencies of the national security labora-
tories with respect to designing and building prototypes of nuclear 
weapons. 
‘‘(2) To carry out paragraph (1), the plan developed and updated 
under subsection (a) shall include the following: 
‘‘(A) Design and system engineering activities of full-scale 
engineering prototypes (using surrogate special nuclear mate-
rials), including weaponization features as required. 
‘‘(B) Design, system engineering, and experimental testing 
(using surrogate special nuclear materials) of above-ground 
experiment test hardware. 
‘‘(C) Design and system engineering of scaled or subcompo-
nent experimental test articles (using special nuclear materials) 
for conducting experiments at the Nevada National Security 
Site.’’. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Subsection (c) of such section, 
as redesignated by subsection (b), is amended by striking ‘‘sub-
section (a), the Administrator’’ and inserting ‘‘this section, the Sec-
retary’’. 
SEC. 3112. PLUTONIUM PIT PRODUCTION CAPACITY. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the requirement to create a modern, responsive nuclear 
infrastructure that includes the capability and capacity to 
produce, at minimum, 50 to 80 pits per year, is a national 
security priority; 
(2) delaying creation of a modern, responsive nuclear infra-
structure until the 2030s is an unacceptable risk to the nuclear 
deterrent and the national security of the United States; and 
(3) timelines for creating certain capacities for production 
of plutonium pits and other nuclear weapons components must 
be driven by the requirement to hedge against technical and
H. R. 3979—595 
geopolitical risk and not solely by the needs of life extension 
programs. 
(b) PIT PRODUCTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle A of title XLII of the Atomic 
Energy Defense Act (50 U.S.C. 2521 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 4219. PLUTONIUM PIT PRODUCTION CAPACITY. 
‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT.—Consistent with the requirements of the 
Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Energy shall ensure that 
the nuclear security enterprise— 
‘‘(1) during 2021, begins production of qualification pluto-
nium pits; 
‘‘(2) during 2024, produces not less than 10 war reserve 
plutonium pits; 
‘‘(3) during 2025, produces not less than 20 war reserve 
plutonium pits; 
‘‘(4) during 2026, produces not less than 30 war reserve 
plutonium pits; and 
‘‘(5) during a pilot period of not less than 90 days during 
2027 (subject to subsection (b)), demonstrates the capability 
to produce war reserve plutonium pits at a rate sufficient 
to produce 80 pits per year. 
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF TWO-YEAR DELAY OF DEMONSTRATION 
REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of 
Defense may jointly delay, for not more than two years, the require-
ment under subsection (a)(5) if— 
‘‘(1) the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy 
jointly submit to the congressional defense committees a report 
describing— 
‘‘(A) the justification for the proposed delay; 
‘‘(B) the effects of the proposed delay on stockpile 
stewardship and modernization, life extension programs, 
future stockpile strategy, and dismantlement efforts; and 
‘‘(C) whether the proposed delay is consistent with 
national policy regarding creation of a responsive nuclear 
infrastructure; and 
‘‘(2) the Commander of the United States Strategic Com-
mand submits to the congressional defense committees a report 
containing the assessment of the Commander with respect to 
the potential risks to national security of the proposed delay 
in meeting— 
‘‘(A) the nuclear deterrence requirements of the United 
States Strategic Command; and 
‘‘(B) national requirements related to creation of a 
responsive nuclear infrastructure. 
‘‘(c) ANNUAL CERTIFICATION.—Not later than March 1, 2015, 
and each year thereafter through 2027 (or, if the authority under 
subsection (b) is exercised, 2029), the Secretary of Energy shall 
certify to the congressional defense committees and the Secretary 
of Defense that the programs and budget of the Secretary of Energy 
will enable the nuclear security enterprise to meet the requirements 
under subsection (a). 
‘‘(d) PLAN.—If the Secretary of Energy does not make a certifi-
cation under subsection (c) by March 1 of any year in which a 
certification is required under that subsection, by not later than 
May 1 of such year, the Chairman of the Nuclear Weapons Council
H. R. 3979—596 
shall submit to the congressional defense committees a plan to 
enable the nuclear security enterprise to meet the requirements 
under subsection (a). Such plan shall include identification of the 
resources of the Department of Energy that the Chairman deter-
mines should be redirected to support the plan to meet such require-
ments.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents for such 
Act is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
4218 the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 4219. Plutonium pit production capacity.’’. 
SEC. 3113. LIFE-CYCLE COST ESTIMATES OF CERTAIN ATOMIC ENERGY 
DEFENSE CAPITAL ASSETS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle A of title XLVII of the Atomic Energy 
Defense Act (50 U.S.C. 2741 et seq.) is amended by adding at 
the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 4714. LIFE-CYCLE COST ESTIMATES OF CERTAIN ATOMIC 
ENERGY DEFENSE CAPITAL ASSETS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Energy shall ensure that 
an independent life-cycle cost estimate under Department of Energy 
Order 413.3 (relating to program management and project manage-
ment for the acquisition of capital assets) of each capital asset 
described in subsection (b) is conducted before the asset achieves 
critical decision 2 in the acquisition process. 
‘‘(b) CAPITAL ASSETS DESCRIBED.—A capital asset described in 
this subsection is an atomic energy defense capital asset— 
‘‘(1) the total project cost of which exceeds $100,000,000; 
and 
‘‘(2) the purpose of which is to perform a limited-life, single- 
purpose mission. 
‘‘(c) INDEPENDENT DEFINED.—For purposes of subsection (a), 
the term ‘independent’, with respect to a life-cycle cost estimate 
of a capital asset, means that the life-cycle cost estimate is prepared 
by an organization independent of the project sponsor, using the 
same detailed technical and procurement information as the 
sponsor, to determine if the life-cycle cost estimate of the sponsor 
is accurate and reasonable.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents for such Act 
is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 4713 
the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 4714. Life-cycle cost estimates of certain atomic energy defense capital as-
sets.’’. 
SEC. 3114. EXPANSION OF REQUIREMENT FOR INDEPENDENT COST 
ESTIMATES ON LIFE EXTENSION PROGRAMS AND NEW 
NUCLEAR FACILITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (b)(1) of section 4217 of the Atomic 
Energy Defense Act (50 U.S.C. 2537) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) as 
clauses (i), (ii), and (iii), respectively, and by moving such 
clauses, as so redesignated, two ems to the right; 
(2) in clause (iii), as redesignated by paragraph (1), by 
striking ‘‘critical decision 2’’ and inserting ‘‘critical decision 
1 and before such facility achieves critical decision 2’’; 
(3) in the matter preceding clause (i), as so redesignated, 
by striking ‘‘an independent cost estimate of’’;
H. R. 3979—597 
(4) by inserting before clause (i), as so redesignated, the 
following: 
‘‘(A) An independent cost estimate of the following:’’; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) An independent cost review of each nuclear weapon 
system undergoing life extension at the completion of phase 
6.2, relating to study of feasibility and down-select.’’. 
(b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Such section 
is further amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘ESTIMATES ON’’ 
and inserting ‘‘ESTIMATES AND REVIEWS OF’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in the subsection heading, by inserting ‘‘AND 
REVIEWS’’ after ‘‘ESTIMATES’’; and 
(B) in paragraphs (2) and (3), by inserting ‘‘or review’’ 
after ‘‘estimate’’ each place it appears. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents for such Act 
is amended by striking the item relating to section 4217 and 
inserting the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 4217. Selected Acquisition Reports and independent cost estimates and re-
views of life extension programs and new nuclear facilities.’’. 
SEC. 3115. DEFINITION OF BASELINE AND THRESHOLD FOR STOCK-
PILE LIFE EXTENSION PROJECT. 
Section 4713 of the Atomic Energy Defense Act (50 U.S.C. 
2753) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1)(A), by adding after the period the 
following new sentence: ‘‘In addition to the requirement under 
subparagraph (B), the cost and schedule baseline of a nuclear 
stockpile life extension project established under this subpara-
graph shall be the cost and schedule as described in the first 
Selected Acquisition Report submitted under section 4217(a) 
for the project.’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ‘‘200’’ and inserting 
‘‘150’’. 
SEC. 3116. AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL LEVELS OF NATIONAL NUCLEAR 
SECURITY ADMINISTRATION. 
(a) FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT PERSONNEL LEVELS.—Subsection (a) 
of section 3241A of the National Nuclear Security Administration 
Act (50 U.S.C. 2441a) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘2014’’ and inserting ‘‘2015’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘1,825’’ and inserting ‘‘1,690’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘2015’’ and inserting ‘‘2016’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘1,825’’ and inserting ‘‘1,690’’. 
(b) DEFINITION.—Such section is further amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(e) OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR EMPLOYEES.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘Office of the Administrator’, with respect to the 
employees of the Administration, includes employees whose funding 
is derived from an account of the Administration titled ‘Federal 
Salaries and Expenses’.’’.