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The '''National Nuclear Security Administration''' ('''NNSA''') is a United States federal agency responsible for safeguarding national security through the military application of [[Nuclear physics|nuclear science]]. NNSA maintains and enhances the [[Stockpile stewardship|safety, security, and effectiveness]] of the U.S. [[nuclear weapon]]s stockpile; works to [[Nuclear proliferation|reduce the global danger]] from [[Weapon of mass destruction|weapons of mass destruction]]; provides the [[United States Navy]] with safe and effective [[Nuclear marine propulsion|nuclear propulsion]]; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the United States and abroad.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Nuclear Security Administration |url=https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/national-nuclear-security-administration |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=Energy.gov |language=en}}</ref>
The '''National Nuclear Security Administration''' ('''NNSA''') is a United States federal agency responsible for safeguarding national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile; works to reduce the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the [[United States Navy]] with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the United States and abroad.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Nuclear Security Administration |url=https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/national-nuclear-security-administration |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=Energy.gov |language=en}}</ref>


Established by the [[United States Congress]] in 2000, NNSA is a semiautonomous agency within the [[United States Department of Energy]].  
Established by the [[United States Congress]] in 2000, NNSA is a semiautonomous agency within the [[United States Department of Energy]].  


== History ==
== History ==
The National Nuclear Security Administration was created by Congressional action in 1999,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gao.gov/htext/d0736.html |title=National Nuclear Security Administration: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Management of the Nation's Nuclear Programs |date=January 2007 |publisher=Report to the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Committee on Armed Services, [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], [[U.S. Government Accountability Office]] |access-date=April 19, 2010 |archive-date=June 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615000818/http://www.gao.gov/htext/d0736.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> in the wake of the [[Wen Ho Lee]] spy scandal<ref>James Risen and Jeff Gerth (March 6, 1999), [https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/06/world/breach-los-alamos-special-report-china-stole-nuclear-secrets-for-bombs-us-aides.html "BREACH AT LOS ALAMOS: A special report.; China Stole Nuclear Secrets For Bombs, U.S. Aides Say" (includes extensive corrections)], ''The New York Times''</ref><ref>Paul Farhi (June 2, 2006), [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/02/AR2006060201060.html  "U.S., Media Settle With Wen Ho Lee"], ''The Washington Post''</ref> and other allegations that lax administration by the Department of Energy had resulted in the loss of U.S. nuclear secrets to China.<ref>Eric Schmitt, "Spying Furor Brings Vote in Senate For New Unit", ''The New York Times'', July 22, 1999</ref> Originally proposed to be an independent agency, it was instead chartered as a semiautonomous agency within the Department of Energy to be headed by an administrator reporting to the Secretary of Energy.<ref>Eric Schmitt, "In Shift, Secretary Supports Bill That Overhauls Energy Department", ''The New York Times'', September 28, 1999</ref> The first [[Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear_Security|Under Secretary for Nuclear Security]] and NNSA administrator appointed was [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] General (and CIA Deputy Director) [[John A. Gordon]].<ref>"C.I.A. Official Chosen for Weapons Agency", ''The New York Times'', March 3, 2000</ref>
The National Nuclear Security Administration was created by Congressional action in 1999,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gao.gov/htext/d0736.html |title=National Nuclear Security Administration: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Management of the Nation's Nuclear Programs |date=January 2007 |publisher=Report to the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Committee on Armed Services, [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], [[U.S. Government Accountability Office]] |access-date=April 19, 2010 |archive-date=June 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615000818/http://www.gao.gov/htext/d0736.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> in the wake of the Wen Ho Lee spy scandal<ref>James Risen and Jeff Gerth (March 6, 1999), [https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/06/world/breach-los-alamos-special-report-china-stole-nuclear-secrets-for-bombs-us-aides.html "BREACH AT LOS ALAMOS: A special report.; China Stole Nuclear Secrets For Bombs, U.S. Aides Say" (includes extensive corrections)], ''The New York Times''</ref><ref>Paul Farhi (June 2, 2006), [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/02/AR2006060201060.html  "U.S., Media Settle With Wen Ho Lee"], ''The Washington Post''</ref> and other allegations that lax administration by the Department of Energy had resulted in the loss of U.S. nuclear secrets to China.<ref>Eric Schmitt, "Spying Furor Brings Vote in Senate For New Unit", ''The New York Times'', July 22, 1999</ref> Originally proposed to be an independent agency, it was instead chartered as a semiautonomous agency within the Department of Energy to be headed by an administrator reporting to the Secretary of Energy.<ref>Eric Schmitt, "In Shift, Secretary Supports Bill That Overhauls Energy Department", ''The New York Times'', September 28, 1999</ref> The first [[Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear_Security|Under Secretary for Nuclear Security]] and NNSA administrator appointed was [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] General (and CIA Deputy Director) John A. Gordon.<ref>"C.I.A. Official Chosen for Weapons Agency", ''The New York Times'', March 3, 2000</ref>


=== 2005 cyberattack and response ===
=== 2005 cyberattack and response ===
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NNSA has the following missions with regard to national security:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/missions|title=Missions|access-date=14 June 2018}}</ref>
NNSA has the following missions with regard to national security:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/missions|title=Missions|access-date=14 June 2018}}</ref>


* To manage the U.S. [[nuclear weapons]] stockpile.
* To manage the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile.
* To reduce global danger from [[weapons of mass destruction]] and to promote international nuclear safety and [[nuclear proliferation|nonproliferation]].
* To reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction and to promote international nuclear safety and nonproliferation.
* To provide the [[United States Navy]] with safe, militarily effective [[nuclear marine propulsion|nuclear propulsion]] plants and to ensure the safe and reliable operation of those plants.
* To provide the [[United States Navy]] with safe, militarily effective nuclear propulsion plants and to ensure the safe and reliable operation of those plants.


=== Defense programs ===
=== Defense programs ===
One of NNSA's primary missions is to maintain the safety, security and effectiveness of the United States' nuclear weapons stockpile.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/missions/maintaining-stockpile|title=Maintaining the Stockpile|access-date=14 June 2018|archive-date=June 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615011556/https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/missions/maintaining-stockpile|url-status=dead}}</ref> After the [[Cold War]], the U.S. voluntarily ended [[underground nuclear testing]]. NNSA maintains the existing [[Nuclear strategy|nuclear deterrent]] through the use of science experiments, engineering audits and high-tech simulations at its three [[United States Department of Energy national laboratories|national laboratories]]: [[Los Alamos National Laboratory]], [[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory]], and [[Sandia National Laboratories]]. It also creates new weapons programs as required by the [[United States Department of Defense]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/w93mk7-acquisition-fact-sheet|title=W93/Mk7 Acquisition fact sheet|access-date=30 March 2024}}</ref>
One of NNSA's primary missions is to maintain the safety, security and effectiveness of the United States' nuclear weapons stockpile.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/missions/maintaining-stockpile|title=Maintaining the Stockpile|access-date=14 June 2018|archive-date=June 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615011556/https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/missions/maintaining-stockpile|url-status=dead}}</ref> After the Cold War, the U.S. voluntarily ended underground nuclear testing. NNSA maintains the existing nuclear deterrent through the use of science experiments, engineering audits and high-tech simulations at its three [[United States Department of Energy national laboratories|national laboratories]]: [[Los Alamos National Laboratory]], [[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory]], and [[Sandia National Laboratories]]. It also creates new weapons programs as required by the [[United States Department of Defense]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/w93mk7-acquisition-fact-sheet|title=W93/Mk7 Acquisition fact sheet|access-date=30 March 2024}}</ref>


NNSA assets used to maintain and ensure the effectiveness of the American nuclear weapons stockpile include  
NNSA assets used to maintain and ensure the effectiveness of the American nuclear weapons stockpile include  
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* [[Z Pulsed Power Facility|Z Machine]] at [[Sandia National Laboratories]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laboratory |first=Los Alamos National |title=DARHT {{!}} Science Facilities |url=https://science-innovation.lanl.gov/science-facilities/darht/ |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=Los Alamos National Laboratory |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Facilities and Centers {{!}} Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |url=https://www.llnl.gov/science-technology/facilities-centers |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=www.llnl.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Z Pulsed Power Facility |url=https://www.sandia.gov/z-machine/ |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=Z Pulsed Power Facility |language=en-US}}</ref>  
* [[Z Pulsed Power Facility|Z Machine]] at [[Sandia National Laboratories]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laboratory |first=Los Alamos National |title=DARHT {{!}} Science Facilities |url=https://science-innovation.lanl.gov/science-facilities/darht/ |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=Los Alamos National Laboratory |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Facilities and Centers {{!}} Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |url=https://www.llnl.gov/science-technology/facilities-centers |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=www.llnl.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Z Pulsed Power Facility |url=https://www.sandia.gov/z-machine/ |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=Z Pulsed Power Facility |language=en-US}}</ref>  


NNSA also uses powerful [[supercomputers]] to run simulations and validate experimental data; these computers often appear on the [[Top500]] list.
NNSA also uses powerful supercomputers to run simulations and validate experimental data; these computers often appear on the [[Top500]] list.
==== National Ignition Facility ====
==== National Ignition Facility ====
Another important asset used to test the stockpile is the [[National Ignition Facility]] (NIF) at [[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory|LLNL]], a laser-based inertial confinement fusion research device.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Ignition Facility & Photon Science |url=https://lasers.llnl.gov/ |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=lasers.llnl.gov}}</ref> NIF achieved the first scientific breakeven controlled fusion experiment on December 5, 2022, with an energy gain factor of 1.5.<ref>{{Cite web|title=DOE National Laboratory Makes History by Achieving Fusion Ignition|url=https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-national-laboratory-makes-history-achieving-fusion-ignition|date=December 13, 2022|access-date=3 February 2023}}</ref> Since then four additional ignition shots followed the December experiment: July 30, 2023; October 8, 2023; October 30, 2023; and February 12, 2024. The most recent experiment produced an estimated 5.2 MJ—more than doubling the input energy of 2.2 MJ.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fusion Ignition and the Path to Inertial Fusion Energy {{!}} National Ignition Facility & Photon Science |url=https://lasers.llnl.gov/news/fusion-ignition-and-the-path-to-inertial-fusion-energy |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=lasers.llnl.gov |language=en}}</ref>
Another important asset used to test the stockpile is the [[National Ignition Facility]] (NIF) at [[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory|LLNL]], a laser-based inertial confinement fusion research device.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Ignition Facility & Photon Science |url=https://lasers.llnl.gov/ |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=lasers.llnl.gov}}</ref> NIF achieved the first scientific breakeven controlled fusion experiment on December 5, 2022, with an energy gain factor of 1.5.<ref>{{Cite web|title=DOE National Laboratory Makes History by Achieving Fusion Ignition|url=https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-national-laboratory-makes-history-achieving-fusion-ignition|date=December 13, 2022|access-date=3 February 2023}}</ref> Since then four additional ignition shots followed the December experiment: July 30, 2023; October 8, 2023; October 30, 2023; and February 12, 2024. The most recent experiment produced an estimated 5.2 MJ—more than doubling the input energy of 2.2 MJ.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fusion Ignition and the Path to Inertial Fusion Energy {{!}} National Ignition Facility & Photon Science |url=https://lasers.llnl.gov/news/fusion-ignition-and-the-path-to-inertial-fusion-energy |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=lasers.llnl.gov |language=en}}</ref>
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