ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 1990 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met at 2:20 p.m., in room SD-116, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. J. Bennett Johnston (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Johnston, McClure, and Domenici. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ATOMIC ENERGY DEFENSE ACTIVITIES STATEMENT OF DONALD KNUTH, ACTING DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR OPERATIONS OPENING REMARKS Senator JOHNSTON. The subcommittee will come to order. This afternoon we will receive testimony on the fiscal year 1991 budget request for the atomic energy defense activities of the Department of Energy. We welcome each of you to the subcommittee and look forward to your presentation of activities for the upcoming fiscal year. We will first hear from Dr. Knuth, followed by Dr. Barker, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense. Then, we will then hear from Admiral Barr, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Military Application at the Department of Energy; Dr. Richard Starostecki, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Materials Production, Department of Energy; followed by Dr. Dominic J. Monetta, Director of the Office of New Production Reactors for the Department of Energy. Dr. Knuth, would you please proceed. Dr. KNUTH. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am Donald Knuth, the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs. I am here today representing Mr. John Tuck, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs. Mr. Tuck is serving in this capacity at the request of Secretary Watkins, pending Senate confirmation of Victor Stello to the defense programs position. PREPARED STATEMENT Mr. Tuck has a detailed statement that I would like to submit for the record and summarize it for the committee today. Senator JOHNSTON. Yes; without objection, Mr. Tuck's statement will be made part of the record. [The statement follows:] STATEMENT OF JOHN C. TUCK INTRODUCTION Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, I am John Tuck, Under Secretary of Energy and the Acting Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs. I am serving in this capacity at the request of Secretary Watkins pending Senate confirmation of Victor Stello to the Defense Programs' position. This post has been vacant for over 2 years. It needs to be filled. I am pleased to present the Department of Energy's (DOE) FY 1991 Defense Programs appropriation request for $7.5 billion. The request excludes funding for New Production Reactors, Environmental Restoration and Waste Management, Waste Transportation and Site Management, and the Naval Reactor program which are part of the National Security budget function and will be addressed by separate organizations within the Department. I would like to thank the Senate Appropriations Committee for your continued support. Your actions have helped us change the culture at DOE and set a course for the future. I will begin by offering some perspectives on the changing world scene, discuss the Defense Programs mission, address the challenges we are facing, and close with a discussion of Defense Programs budget needs. THE CHANGING WORLD SCENE Today, the world order is in a state of flux. Communism appears to be crumbling in Eastern Europe and democracy is on the rise. The Soviet Union, itself, is in the midst of significant political and economic change unthought of only one year ago. While it is premature to predict the outcome, we are hopeful these changes will be successful. Recent trends in the Soviet Union have been dramatic in scope, and have permeated many facets of our relations with the Soviets. While all would agree that the threat from conventional forces is diminishing, the Soviet Union still has a formidable arsenal of strategic weapons. They continue, for example, to develop and deploy a growing number of new and improved missile delivery systems. Their production of nuclear materials continues unabated with no distinction between military and civilian production sources. To deal with this present imbalance will require that the U.S. maintain a credible nuclear deterrent for the foreseeable future. This lesson has been realized from 45 years of peace through strength, and we must not lose sight of it. Credible nuclear deterrence, in today's environment, requires us to maintain the capability to respond to a variety of demands while negotiating with the Soviet Union for an orderly reduction in the numbers of strategic systems. We have learned an important lesson in this country. Unfortunately, the lesson has been learned through years of neglect. For strategic defense to be successful, it must be achieved in a safe and environmentally acceptable manner. It makes little sense for this Nation to field a strong strategic deterrent if we spoil our environment, bring risk to our employees, and potential harm to our neighbors. This Nation cannot afford to meet production requirements at the expense of safety and the environment. There is no other choice; we must learn to achieve both. While our nuclear weapons must be reliable, safety is absolutely essential. In this regard, DOE is actively pursuing the incorporation of state-of-the-art safety enhancements into new weapons systems. At the same time, we are continuing our nuclear weapons stockpile improvement program to enhance weapon safety for older weapons in the stockpile through retrofits and conversions. MISSION The Department of Energy's Defense Programs mission (Chart 1) contributes to national security by supporting the development, production, and maintenance of a credible, safe, and reliable nuclear deterrent. A variety of programs contribute to this mission beginning with the research, development, and testing capability. Defense Programs also oversees the manufacture, maintenance, and retirement of the weapons components and nuclear materials comprising our nuclear |