10 U.S.C. § 499c — Portfolio management framework for nuclear forces

(a) Requirement. By January 1, 2024, the Secretary of Defense had to: (1) Put in place a portfolio management framework for U.S. nuclear forces that: (A) Names which nuclear forces the framework covers; (B) Sets up a governance structure for those forces that borrows from, or is modeled on, an existing structure — such as the Deputy's Management Action Group described in Department of Defense Directive 5105.79; (C) Explains how the Secretary — acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment — will identify and manage risk, prioritize efforts, and coordinate all this with the Administrator for Nuclear Security through the Nuclear Weapons Council; and (D) Builds in the findings and recommendations from the Comptroller General's January 2022 report, "Nuclear Enterprise: DOD and NNSA Could Further Enhance How They Manage Risk and Prioritize Efforts" (GAO-22-104061); and (2) Finish a full assessment of what portfolio management skills are needed to identify and manage risk in the nuclear-forces portfolio, including how to use public and private-sector resources and the program-management expertise at the Defense Acquisition University. (b) Annual Briefings; Notifications. (1) Along with the President's budget submission for fiscal year 2025, and every fiscal year after that until the section ends, the Secretary must brief the congressional defense committees on identifying and managing nuclear-force risk and prioritizing efforts, covering: (A) the current and projected operational needs used for that work; (B) the key risks found; and (C) actions proposed or taken to reduce that risk. (2) The Secretary may give these briefings in classified form. (3) If either house of Congress passes a funding bill that the Secretary determines will significantly delay nuclear certification or delivery, the Secretary must notify the congressional defense committees. (c) Termination. This section's requirements end 90 days after the Secretary certifies to the congressional defense committees that all of the following have reached full operational capability: (1) the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile system; (2) the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program; (3) the long-range standoff weapon program; (4) the B-21 Raider bomber program; and (5) the F-35A dual-capable aircraft program. (d) Nuclear Forces Defined. In this section, "nuclear forces" includes, at minimum: (1) nuclear weapons; (2) the platforms and systems that deliver nuclear weapons; (3) nuclear command, control, and communications systems; and (4) the Defense Department's and National Nuclear Security Administration's infrastructure and facilities supporting all of the above — including personnel, construction, operation, and maintenance.