U.S. Senator Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) introduced a bill yesterday that would give Congress more options when signing off on designs for nuclear security construction projects (see GSN, Sept. 21).
Feingold's measure would force the Pentagon to prepare a report for lawmakers that analyzes "alternative designs for major construction projects needed to secure our strategic nuclear weapons," according to a press release.
The bill could be voted on today as an amendment to the fiscal 2010 military construction appropriations bill.
Nuclear weapons security projects receive approximately $1 billion in annual U.S. funding. Some $50 million of that goes to military construction, according to Feingold.
In September, the Government Accountability Office released a report that faulted the Pentagon for failing to fully consider the cost benefits of different designs for nuclear security projects.
"Too often, the federal government authorizes projects without fully analyzing if they are the smartest or most cost effective way to go," Feingold said in the release. "My amendment would help ensure the Department of Defense fully explores every means to effectively secure our nuclear arsenal to promote both security and fiscal responsibility."
The senator criticized the U.S. Navy for its plan to pay out roughly $1.1 billion on a nuclear security project without adequately weighing other options that could be more cost-effective.
The press release pointed to several recent episodes that Feingold said indicated the need for greater congressional attention on nuclear security.
In March 2008, the Pentagon was surprised to find that ICBM equipment fuses had been delivered to Taiwan in 2006. In August 2007, six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles were unintentionally flown from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana (U.S. Senator Russell Feingold release, Nov. 16).