Nuclear Detection: Preliminary Observations on the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office's Efforts to Develop a Global Nuclear Detection Architecture

In our July 2008 testimony (GAO-08-999T) on preliminary observations on the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office's (DNDO) efforts to develop a global nuclear detection architecture (GNDA), we found that DNDO had taken steps to develop a GNDA but lacked an overarching strategic plan to help guide how it would achieve a more comprehensive architecture. While DNDO had identified gaps in the architecture, such as land border crossings into the United States between formal points of entry, small maritime vessels, and international general aviation, and had started to develop programs to address these gaps, it had not yet developed an overarching strategic plan to guide its transition from the initial architecture to a more comprehensive GNDA. GAO recommended that the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Secretaries of Defense, Energy, and State develop a strategic plan to guide the development of a more comprehensive GNDA, and that such a plan clearly define objectives, roles, and responsibilities of agencies for meeting each objective, and identify funding and monitoring mechanisms to determine progress and identify needed improvements. DHS implemented this recommendation by issuing a strategic plan, and GNDA Joint Interagency Review (JAIR), and an implementation plan. First, in December 2010, in coordination with the Secretaries Defense, Energy, and State, but also the Secretary of Justice, the intelligence community and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), DNDO issued a strategic plan for the GNDA. The strategic plan establishes a broad vision for the GNDA, identifies cross-cutting issues, defines several objectives, and assigns mission roles and responsibilities to the various federal entities that contribute to the GNDA. For example, the Department of Energy has the lead for several aspects of enhancing international capabilities for detecting nuclear materials abroad, DHS has the lead for detecting nuclear materials as they cross the border into the United States, and the NRC has the lead on reporting and sharing information on lost or stolen domestic radiological material. In addition, DNDO released the GNDA JAIR in 2011. This review described the current status of GNDA and included initial metrics and performance goals for the various components of the GNDA, some discussion of the development, assessment, and acquisition of nuclear detection technologies, and a general outline of funding levels for these efforts in FY 2009 and 2010. Finally, in April 2012 DNDO provided more detailed planning for the GNDA when it released the DHS GNDA implementation plan. This plan identifies specific DHS-led programs and activities that are mapped to the performance goals of the 2010 GNDA strategic plan, establishes priorities and outlines the DHS GNDA capabilities necessary to achieve them. The implementation plan also included individual performance goals and supporting capabilities of the GNDA, as well as specific activities to achieve these capabilities. The implementation plan also establishes a monitoring mechanism to gauge progress toward achieving GNDA goals as more DHS capabilities are established and enhanced over time. In addition, for each DHS-led or co-led performance goal detailed in the strategic plan, the implementation plan establishes specific performance measures and their associated metrics for DHS-implemented programs. Finally, the DHS GNDA implementation plan provides a summary of planned budget resources allocated to the GNDA-related programs, projects, and activities through FY 2017. For FY 2012 and 2013, budget figures are provided down to the individual program level while for the out-years (FY 2014-2017), budget figures are reported at an estimated aggregated level.