Nuclear Nonproliferation: The Administration's 2015 Plan and 2017 Update for Nuclear Proliferation Verification and Monitoring Generally Did Not Address Reporting Requirements

In the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2015, Congress included a provision directing the President to submit to certain congressional committees an interagency plan for verification and monitoring of the potential proliferation of nuclear weapons, components of such weapons, and fissile material. The NDAA provision specified four reporting requirements:

The administration submitted a classified plan to the congressional committees in October 2015. The fiscal year 2017 NDAA directed the President to provide certain congressional committees with an update to the October 2015 plan but did not specify any new reporting requirements. This classified update was submitted to the congressional committees in May 2017.

 

• neither the 2015 plan nor the 2017 update addressed the reporting requirement on an interagency plan and roadmap for verification and monitoring;


• neither the 2015 plan nor the 2017 update addressed the reporting requirement on a specific engagement plan for improving inspections and monitoring;


• neither the 2015 plan nor the 2017 update addressed the reporting requirement on an R&D program to improve monitoring, detection, and inspection and analysis capabilities and to coordinate technical and operational requirements; and


• the 2015 plan and the 2017 update both addressed the reporting requirement on engagement of relevant departments and agencies, but neither the plan nor the update provided details.

Why GAO Did This Study 

The conference report accompanying the fiscal year 2018 NDAA includes a provision for GAO to review and submit an assessment of the October 2015 plan and the May 2017 update. This report assesses the extent to which the 2015 plan and the 2017 update addressed the reporting requirements. GAO assessed the content of the 2015 plan and the 2017 update against the reporting requirements and rated the extent to which each document addressed those requirements in one of three ways: (1) addressed the reporting element with detail; (2) addressed the reporting element but without detail; or (3) did not address the required reporting element. To assess the level of detail, GAO considered key factors identified in its previous work on national strategies, federal planning, and interagency collaboration, such as the extent to which the plan or update provided information regarding specific goals or objectives; strategies to achieve those goals or objectives and how these strategies would be implemented; which agency or agencies would implement the strategies; and other measurable data, such as timelines and the resources required. GAO also interviewed officials at the Department of State and the National Nuclear Security Administration who were involved in the development of the 2015 plan and the 2017 update or who reviewed those documents. This report is a public version of a classified report that GAO issued in March 2018.