Biden admin's Nuclear Posture Review 'will change little' at NNSA, weapons exec predicts

Aug. 7—ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Challenges and needs within the nuclear-weapons complex will likely endure whatever alterations the Biden administration's evaluation of atomic policy, prospects and capabilities brings, the National Nuclear Security Administration's head of defense programs predicted this week.

"I recognize that changes to the current program of record could result from this review," Dr. Charles Verdon, the deputy administrator for defense programs, said Tuesday. "However, it is my assessment — I repeat, my assessment — that as long as the U.S. requires the maintenance of a safe, secure and effective nuclear stockpile, what I discuss today, particularly regarding the continuing development of the science, the modernization of the stockpile, and the supporting infrastructure, will change little."

Verdon's speculation comes as the Pentagon undertakes what's formally known as a Nuclear Posture Review — a chance to refresh and realign — and as the Biden team is perpetually squeezed from rival nuclear-weapons denominations.

While lawmakers such as Reps. Joe Wilson of South Carolina and Mike Rogers of Alabama have pressed Biden to significantly invest in the nation's nuclear arsenal and backbone infrastructure, other lawmakers such as Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Jeff Merkley of Oregon have urged the president to "to reduce the role of U.S. nuclear weapons in our national security strategy" and to "forego development of new nuclear weapons."

Biden's fiscal year 2022 spending blueprint for NNSA weapons work — roughly $15.5 billion — was described by the Nuclear Weapons Council as "minimally sufficient." Wilson, a Republican, criticized the suggested allocation as "bare-bones" and "dangerous."

The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review, produced under President Donald Trump, underlined that "nuclear weapons have and will continue to play a critical role" in national defense for the foreseeable future.

The guiding document also warned that the nuclear-weapons complex is in desperate need of a face-lift; chronic underfunding, it states, means "significant and sustained investments will be required over the coming decade to ensure that (NNSA) will be able to" execute and satisfy its so-called government customers.

Verdon on Tuesday said "challenges abound" when it comes to modernization of the broader nuclear outfit. Roughly one-third of NNSA facilities date back to the early Cold War era; more than half of its facilities are beyond their 40-year life expectancy.

"Will there be bumps in the road? Of course there will be," Verdon said. "But I do have confidence that the NNSA complex will be able to meet those and address those challenges in a timely manner, as we have a track record for doing that."

Verdon leads the team that directs what's known as the stockpile stewardship program: maintaining the security and reliability of U.S. nuclear weapons.