Nuclear and Conventional Physical Security Equipment RDT&E ACD&P

Abstract

This Program Element supports the 2022 National Defense Strategy's four top-level defense priorities by: Defending the homeland, paced to the growing multi-domain threat posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC); Deterring strategic attacks against the United States, Allies, and partners; Deterring aggression, while being prepared to prevail in conflict when necessary – prioritizing the PRC challenge in the Indo-Pacific region, then the Russia challenge in Europe, and; Building a resilient Joint Force and defense ecosystem. Nuclear and Conventional Physical Security/Nuclear Forensics, Resilience, and Survivability addresses the need to defend and deter against weapons of mass destruction threats and to safeguard personnel, prevent unauthorized access to equipment, installations, material, and documents, and to safeguard the foregoing against espionage, sabotage, damage, and theft. This program oversees advanced engineering development and rapid fielding throughout the Department of Defense (DoD) for an integrated and systemic approach to develop material solutions. Public Law, Presidential, and DoD guidance, and Combatant Command and Service requirements drive the priorities for these programs. The Physical Security Enterprise and Analysis Group (PSEAG) is responsible for avoiding duplication of effort, ensuring systems integration, and promoting interoperability and sustainability. The material solutions either (a) lead to a Program of Record, (b) become technology insertions into existing programs; or (c) advance to being a certified Commercial/Government off-the-shelf product. Per National Security Presidential Memorandum 35, the DoD leads the U.S. Government (USG) post-detonation National Technical Nuclear Forensics (NTNF) capability. Per DoD Directive S-2060.04, the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)) is the office responsible for developing and leading the DoD’s NTNF capabilities. The DoD mission to collect and analyze post-detonation nuclear debris is critical to ensuring the USG can identify the source of nuclear material and holding those responsible for an attack is critical to our national defense and security. Internal and independent assessments indicate that new capabilities are needed to sustain an effective deterrent against an unattributed nuclear attack and meet the challenges of future threats. This PE is the only DoD research, development, and test and evaluation (RDT&E) program focused on Advanced Component Development and Prototypes for post-detonation NTNF capabilities. Without fully supporting these requirements, the DoD’s ability to meet this critical deterrence need will be significantly degraded. The DoD, through the Innovative Technologies program, will partner with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to develop technology aimed at preventing would-be proliferants from advancing nuclear weapons related efforts. Additionally, the DoD seeks to support current and future counter-proliferant missions by leveraging the expertise within the national laboratories. The program goal is to ensure DoD's operational units are paired with the NNSA technology experts to develop requirements early in the process to reduce the time of fielding a technology. Nuclear Survivability will invest in innovative radiation hardening techniques to modernize microelectronics for strategic and space systems and increase the reliability of mission critical systems. This program will result in achieving key metrics, including improved understanding of radiation effects on advanced Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technologies; Radiation Hardened/Strategic Radiation Hardened parts qualified and available for space and strategic modernization; Improved mission critical systems reporting; and improved testing procedure guidance for extreme radiation environments. This PE can fund travel to support the requirements of this program. This appropriation will finance work, including staffing, performed by a government agency or by private individuals or organizations under a contractual or grant arrangement with the government who conduct RDT&E efforts.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2025
• Source ID: 0603161D8Z_4_0400_PB_2025
• Change Summary Explanation: FY 2024 to FY 2025 decrease is associated with internal reprogramming from Advanced Component Development & Prototypes (0603161D8Z) to System Development and Demonstration (0604161D8Z) in support of Project 042: National Technical Nuclear Forensics / System Development & Demonstration (SDD).
• Service Agency Name: Office of the Secretary Of Defense

Entities

Organizations

• Office of the Secretary of Defense

Tags

Readers

• Critical Infrastructure Protection in CBRN and WMD Threats.
• Cybersecurity.
• Strategic Security Studies

Technology Areas

• Microelectronics
• Space