NNSA chief: Obama committed to nuclear security

Anonymously contributed:

NNSA chief: Obama committed to nuclear security

Special to the Oak Ridger
Posted Feb 21, 2011 @ 07:57 PM

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. —

In his first public remarks since the release of the fiscal year 2012 budget request, National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator Thomas D'Agostino on Wednesday highlighted the Obama administration's commitment to nuclear security in a keynote address to the third annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit.

Calling it an "unprecedented investment in ensuring the nuclear security of our country and our allies," D'Agostino said the FY 2012 budget request provides the resources to invest in NNSA's future, implement the president's nuclear security agenda and improve the way NNSA does business and manages its resources.

The budget request includes $11.78 billion for NNSA, an increase of 5.1 percent from the $11.2 billion requested for FY 2011. It includes $7.6 billion for the Weapons Activities appropriation, $2.5 billion for NNSA's nuclear nonproliferation program, and $1.1 billion for NNSA's Naval Reactors Program.

The following are excerpts of D'Agostino's remarks as prepared for delivery, courtesy of an NNSA release:

• On the President's commitment to NNSA: "Despite the economic challenges facing our nation and the budget pressures being felt throughout the federal government, the president demonstrated his commitment to our mission by proposing an unprecedented investment in ensuring the nuclear security of our country and our allies."

• On investing in the future: "These resources will help us invest in a modern, 21st century national security enterprise that can sustain the stockpile and support our full range of nuclear security missions. With these investments, we will be able to continue to move toward an enterprise that is safer, smaller, more secure, more efficient, more sustainable and more adaptable."

• On implementing the President's nuclear security agenda: "Taken together, this request includes significant investments in all of our core mission areas, and will allow NNSA to play a central role in implementing the president's nuclear security agenda."

• On improving the way we do business: "It is important for us all to recognize that these investments come at a time of severe economic challenges for our country and a renewed commitment to reducing the deficit. To maintain the consensus we have seen for supporting our programs, we have a responsibility to work together as one NNSA to improve the way we do business and manage our resources."

• On building one NNSA: "All of this is part of our effort to create "One NNSA," a true partnership between all of our programs and all of our partners to fulfill our common mission. We must break down stovepipes; work collaboratively across our programs and organizations; make sure our headquarters, site office and M&O partners are coordinated; and leverage all of our resources to meet our common objective -- making the world a safer place.”