PUBLIC LAW 105-85 —NOV. 18, 1997 111 STAT. 1953 of the nuclear weapons stockpile without testing will require utilization of new and sophisticated computational capabilities and diagnostic technologies, methods, and procedures. Current diagnostic technologies and laboratory testing techniques are insufficient to certify the safety and reliability of the United States nuclear weapons stockpile into the future. Whereas in the past laboratory and diagnostic tools were used in conjunction with nuclear testing, in the future they will provide, under the Department of Energys stockpile stewardship plan, the sole basis for assessing past test data and for making judgments on phenomena observed in connection with the aging of the stockpile. (9) Section 3159 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997 (Public Law 104-201; 42 U.S.C. 7274o) requires that the directors of the nuclear weapons laboratories and the nuclear weapons production plants submit a report to the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Defense Programs if they identify a problem that has significant bearing on confidence in the safety or reliability of a nuclear weapon or nuclear weapon t3^e, that the Assistant Secretary must transmit that report, along with any comments, to the congressional defense committees and to the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of Defense, and that the Joint Nuclear Weapons Council advise Congress regarding its analysis of any such problems. (10) On August 11, 1995, President Clinton directed "the establishment of a new annual reporting and certification requirement [to] ensure that our nuclear weapons remain safe and reliable under a comprehensive test ban". (11) On the same day, the President noted that the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy have the responsibility, after being "advised by the Nuclear Weapons Council, the Directors of DOE's nuclear weapons laboratories, and the Commander of United States Strategic Command", to provide the President with the information regarding the certification referred to in paragraph (10). (12) The Joint Nuclear Weapons Council established by section 179 of title 10, United States Code, is responsible for providing advice to the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of Defense regarding nuclear weapons issues, including "considering safety, security, and control issues for existing weapons". The Council plays a critical role in advising Congress in matters relating to nuclear weapons. (13) It is essential that the President receive well-informed, objective, and honest opinions, including dissenting views, from his advisers and technical experts regarding the safety, security, effectiveness, and reliability of the nuclear weapons stockpile. (b) POLICY. — (1) IN GENERAL.—It is the policy of the United States— (A) to maintain a safe, secure, effective, and reliable nuclear weapons stockpile; and (B) as long as other nations control or actively seek to acquire nuclear weapons, to retain a credible nuclear deterrent. (2) NUCLEAR WEAPONS STOCKPILE.— It is in the security interest of the United States to sustain the United States
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