Detailed Information on the
National Nuclear Security Administration: Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) Campaign Assessment

Continuing to improve the responsiveness of the Nuclear Weapons Complex Infrastructure by coordinating program activity with the Complex Transformation Strategy Record of Decision.

Continuing to improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the Nuclear Weapons Complex by integrating program requirements into development of the new Office of Defense Programs National Level Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

Measure: Cumulative percentage of progress towards demonstrating ignition (simulating fusion conditions in a nuclear explosion) at the National Ignition Facility to increase confidence in modeling nuclear weapons performance.

Explanation:

Measure: Cumulative percentage of construction completed on the 192-laser beam National Ignition Facility

Explanation:

Measure: Cumulative percentage of equipment fabricated to support ignition experiments at the National Ignition Facility

Explanation:

Measure: Annual number of days available to conduct stockpile stewardship experiments, totaled for all ICF facilities

Explanation:

Measure: Annual average hours per experiment required by the operational crew to prepare the Z Facility for an experiment.

Explanation:For FY 2007, the facility was closed for rehabilitative construction and unavailable for experiments.

Is the program purpose clear?

Explanation: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) is a major component of the Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP), which is the Department of Energy-managed program to ensure the readiness, safety, security and reliability of U.S. nuclear weapons. The ICF will provide advanced experimental tools (state-of-the-art laser and pulsed power facilities) and carry out experiments to investigate matter under conditions of extreme temperature and pressure approaching those found in nuclear explosions. Through these experiments, physics data will be gathered to support assessments and certification of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. The intent is to achieve ignition and thermonuclear burn (the fusion or joining together of hydrogen-like atoms to form heavier atoms with the release of energy) in the laboratory and develop it as a scientific tool for stockpile stewardship.

Evidence: The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) FY 2007-2011 SSP Overview, DOE/NA-0014, 13 Nov 06, describes the Campaign's role and integration with other Weapons Activities programs. The President's FY 2009 Budget, including the NNSA multi-year budget and performance plan (the FY 2009-FY 2013 Future-Years Nuclear Security Program (FYNSP)), February, 2008, also states this purpose as the Campaign goal.

Does the program address a specific and existing problem, interest, or need?

Explanation: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign addresses the need to certify on an annual basis that the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile is safe, secure, and reliable, absent underground nuclear testing. Prior to 1992, scientists and designers were able to assess nuclear weapons performance based on underground test results. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) now relies on scientific modeling to understand and predict weapons performance. The Campaign provides state-of-the-art laser and pulsed power facilities that allow investigation of matter under conditions of extreme temperature and pressure, in support of those models. The closer the resulting data approximates actual weapons conditions and the better the underlying science is known (which is a goal shared with another PARTed program), the less extrapolation is required, leading to increased confidence in understanding of weapons performance, absent nuclear testing. The Campaign also addresses the specific Stockpile Stewardship Program's (SSP) need to understand ignition and thermonuclear burn. This specific need was first identified in the early 1990s and was reaffirmed by the Defense Science Board in 2004 as providing "the much needed understanding of the most important remaining question in weapons physics." The National Ignition Facility, the major laser facility being built by the ICF, is the only facility that can achieve ignition and thermonuclear burn.

Evidence: The Mission Need Statement for the National Ignition Facility established the need for the National Ignition Facility as an essential component of the SSP. This mission need was reaffirmed in the letter from the NNSA Laboratory Directors, dated April 24, 2000 and then again in September 6, 2000. The Defense Science Board Task Force Report, 2004, page 9, states the importance of ignition to the Stockpile Stewardship mission. The NNSA FY 2008-2012 SSP and NNSA FY 2007-2011 SSP Overview describe the NNSA science-based nuclear weapon program, the Campaign's role, and integration with other Weapons Activities programs in this effort.

Is the program designed so that it is not redundant or duplicative of any other Federal, state, local or private effort?

Explanation: Nuclear weapons are the sole province of the Federal Government, and the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration is the Federal agency responsible for the safety, security, and reliability of the nuclear weapons stockpile. The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF), provides the unique capabilities that address the specific needs of the Stockpile Stewardship Program. No equivalent laboratory capabilities for conducting research in nuclear weapons-relevant temperature and pressure regimes are available or are being planned elsewhere in the United States. The National Ignition Facility will be the only laboratory facility capable of accessing conditions for ignition and thermonuclear burn applicable for the SSP, and the Z pulsed power facility is the only laboratory facility with sufficiently high energy x-rays for certain radiation tests of weapons components.

Evidence: The nuclear weapons role was assigned to the Department of Energy by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, the Energy Reorganization Act, Public Law (P.L.) 95-601, and the Department of Energy Organization Act of 1974. The NNSA Act (page 113 STAT. 954) established the NNSA as a semi-autonomous agency within the Department of Energy with responsibility for the nation's nuclear weapons. The NNSA FY 2007-2011 Stockpile Stewardship Plan outlines the organization responsible for implementing the United States nuclear weapons program. The President's Budget/NNSA Future-Years Nuclear Security Program (FYNSP) describe the Presidentially-directed Campaign nuclear weapons activities.

Is the program design free of major flaws that would limit the program's effectiveness or efficiency?

Explanation: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) has a sound program structure that aligns with its programmatic objectives and is organized around achieving major technical goals. There is no strong evidence that another approach or mechanism would be more efficient or effective to achieve the intended purpose. The ICF utilizes a detailed Implementation Plan combined with a large number of ambitious milestones and performance criteria (including Earned Value Management metrics) to continually monitor Program performance and to outline corrective actions. Periodic risk analyses and reviews by independent experts are key companions to the performance evaluations. The Program follows the Department of Energy (DOE) Order 413.3A that provides direction for managing the National Ignition Facility and Omega Enhanced Performance Facility as capital acquisition assets. In addition to the asset management infrastructure just mentioned, there are clear lines of authority, responsibility and accountability. Through this process, major flaws in program design have been avoided.

Evidence: The DOE Order 413.3A provides the project management direction for the acquisition of capital assets with the goal of delivering projects on schedule, within budget, and fully capable of meeting mission performance, safeguards and security, and environmental, safety, and health standards. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Defense Programs (DP) Program Management Manual, Revision 1, December 2005 provides the operating business model to effectively execute NNSA programs such as the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign. Campaign briefings as part of the DP Quarterly Program Reviews provide program status to NNSA management and serve as the basis to address program issues and develop corrective actions for the path forward. The Campaign's FY 2008-2013 Program Plan, 25 Sep 2007 outlines the program plan over a rolling 5-year period and defines the Campaign's planning assumptions, major program elements and technical efforts, integration, coordination and oversight, and performance tracking. The Campaign FY 2008 Program Implementation Plan, 11 Feb 2008, describes past accomplishments, performance in meeting milestones, major technical efforts and statements of work, associated high level milestones, program integration, and risk identification and mitigation.

Is the program design effectively targeted so that resources will address the program's purpose directly and will reach intended beneficiaries?

Explanation: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign's (ICF) near-term or initial top priority is to achieve ignition in the laboratory. The ICF program design is structured to meet this priority. The National Ignition Campaign targets resources to perform the necessary technology development, procurement, engineering and integration of hardware to support the ignition goal at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The ICF involves participation of all of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) weapons laboratories and has a well-defined scope, schedule, and budget baseline that is documented in its execution plan. Each year, the ICF Campaign issues work authorizations detailing the specific work to be accomplished as well as the approved funding amounts based on identified priorities. Monthly financial reports allow the program to verify costs against planned expenditures. With National Ignition Facility (NIF) construction 97% complete, the ICF program resources are focused on achieving ignition and other high density experimental platforms which are required by weapon physics experiments. Weapons deliverables beyond the first ignition experiments are derived by close collaboration with the Science Campaign. There are no unintended subsidies.

Evidence: The President's Budget/NNSA Future-Years Nuclear Security Program (FYNSP) provides the Presidentially-directed program outline of the targeted Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign resources. The Defense Programs FY 2010-2014 Program and Resource Planning Guidance identifies priorities within the FYNSP profile. Work activities and funding levels are specified in the NNSA Work Authorization and Approved Funding Plan records. Monthly financial reports are contained in the Department of Energy Integrated Management System. The National Ignition Campaign Execution Plan describes the scope, schedule and budget required to support the goal of ignition experiments beginning in 2010.

Does the program have a limited number of specific long-term performance measures that focus on outcomes and meaningfully reflect the purpose of the program?

Explanation: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) program has several specific long-term performance measures that reflect the meaningful outputs of the facilities being constructed and operated. The two key goals of the program are replacing all empirical parameters in nuclear weapons models by 2020 and reaching and measuring, in laboratory material samples, the extreme conditions of pressure, temperature and density (high density physics) formerly only reachable in nuclear weapons, by 2015. Replacing empirical parameters will result in being better able to predict weapon performance so weapons can be kept reliable, safe and secure even in the absence of underground testing. Reaching the extremely high density values of matter found in sustained fusion reactions will allow scientists to understand more precisely what happens in large scale nuclear fusion reactions. The measure that tracks the replacement of empirical parameters is the fraction of parameters replaced. The measure to track the achievement of high density matter is an aggregate quantified parameter reflecting pressure, temperature and density. As the target for this quantity is approached, extrapolations to bomb or near-bomb conditions are more modest, the underlying science can be observed more directly, and weapons experts gain a greater understanding of the performance of the weapons. With achievement of these goals, U.S. weapons scientists will be able to predict more precisely the functioning of weapons as they age or as additional safety and security features are added to the weapons stockpile. Measures to date (i.e., soon to be phased-out or to achieve secondary status) also reflect the final construction, operation and tuning of the facilities and the development and improvement of data collection equipment that will be used by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Science Campaign (assessed by a separate PART) to understand the physics of high density matter and improve nuclear weapons models.

Evidence: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign Program Plan and this document contain Campaign performance measures and results to date. The Program Plan also includes the major program technical milestones that support the measures. The NNSA Stockpile Stewardship Plan is a Congressionally-mandated document that is required annually. Also, see the PART Measures Tab.

Does the program have ambitious targets and timeframes for its long-term measures?

Explanation: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) program's long-term performance measures are ambitious, as they are to be achieved without actual fission or fusion bomb explosions (underground tests) and require creation and gathering of data under difficult experimental conditions. The targets are for deriving physics parameters used in the modeling of weapons and achieving certain mileposts in the creation of extremely high density matter.. Although baseline operations will be established as the equipment becomes operational, the key long-term targets are stated in absolute terms because they are not relative to existing performance numbers.

Evidence: The President's Budget/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Future-Years Nuclear Security Program (FYNSP) and the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign Program Plan and Program Implementation Plan contain targets and target dates as well as performance results to date. Updated performance measures have been included as part of this review.

Does the program have a limited number of specific annual performance measures that can demonstrate progress toward achieving the program's long-term goals?

Explanation: Because the long-term measures associated with the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) are quantified, progress toward those measures can be and is being measured in percentages of the way toward those goals For example, annual measures gauge progress in improving the accuracy of weapons models and as various empirical parameters are replaced by more fundamental physics calculations, the fractional progress toward totally physics-based models can be calculated. Similarly, achievement of very high material densities in fusion target samples has been made into annual measures by a parametric function combining progress toward the desired end-state conditions. Annual performance efforts to date have been oriented toward completion and start-up of the laser facility and there are adequate annual performance measures to support the completion of that goal. For example, past annual measures have gauged progress toward completing the National Ignition Facility in 2009 and achieving ignition and burn in 2010 and measurements come out of the Earned Value Management System. Ultimately, collecting experimental results from the program depends directly upon a working facility that achieves ignition and burn. Section four addresses use of annual measures that were derived from the long-term performance measures being phased out, as well as the measures taking their place.

Evidence: The President's Budget/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Future-Years Nuclear Security Program (FYNSP) contains the annual targets as well as past performance. The ICF Campaign Program Plan contains performance results to date and the ICF Program Implementation Plans lay out annual milestones. Earned Value Management System reports display progress in meeting construction and operation goals.

Does the program have baselines and ambitious targets for its annual measures?

Explanation: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) program is transitioning from concentration primarily on construction of the facility to a combination of start-up activities, tuning, operation and development of equipment and techniques to gather and interpret scientific data. As a result, previous performance measures are being replaced by new annual measures that will guide future operations. Baselines for the program's new annual performance measures will be developed over the next couple of years. In the meantime, the near-term annual measures remain those associated with construction of the National Ignition Facility. The near-term targets are aggressive and are measured by the completion of high level construction (ass assessed using the Earned Value Management System) and operation milestones that measure progress against a program execution plan.

Evidence: FY 2009 President's Budget (Volume 1, page 173 of the FY 2009 Congressional Budget Request, National Nuclear Security Administration) includes recent annual targets for the performance measures. The milestones that tie to and support the annual targets can be found in the baseline documents, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) Project Execution Plan, and the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) Execution Plan. The milestones are also summarized in the Campaign Program Plan and the Campaign Implementation Plan. The FY 2005 JASON report presents results of the JASON review of the National Ignition Campaign experimental plan and prospects for achieving ignition by 2010. Examples of internal control processes to verify and validate performance results are; the NIF Execution Plan, the NIC Execution Plan, Monthly Progress Reports, the DOE Project Assessment and Reporting System, Milestone Reporting Tool, and onsite visits and reviews. In addition, NIF and NIC use a certified EVMS to monitor project performance against project baseline cost and schedule plans.

Do all partners (including grantees, sub-grantees, contractors, cost-sharing partners, and other government partners) commit to and work toward the annual and/or long-term goals of the program?

Explanation: All program participants including Federal and contractor organizations are committed to the near-term and long-term goals of the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign. The management and operating contractor responsible for the National Ignition Facility has signed an execution plan that was approved by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) program managers up through and including the Administrator of NNSA. The National Ignition Campaign involves participation of all of the NNSA weapons laboratories and has an execution plan that has been signed by senior managers from each of the laboratories. This Execution Plan has also been approved by NNSA program managers up through and including the NNSA Administrator. Letters reaffirming the need for and commitment to the National Ignition Facility and an experimental program aimed at achieving ignition have also been signed by all of the NNSA Laboratory Directors and the NNSA Administrator. In addition, the annual Campaign Program Plans and Implementation Plans are also signed by all program participants indicating their commitment to the annual and long-term goals of the Campaign. Performance Evaluation Plans also document commitments by program participants to annual and long-term goals.

Evidence: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Program Plan and Program Implementation Plan, and National Ignition Facility and National Ignition Campaign Execution Plans signed by all program participants indicate commitment to annual and long-term goals of the Campaign. The FY 2007 and FY 2008 site management and operating contractor Performance Evaluation Plans and FY 2007 Performance Reports also document commitments to Campaign goals.

Are independent evaluations of sufficient scope and quality conducted on a regular basis or as needed to support program improvements and evaluate effectiveness and relevance to the problem, interest, or need?

Explanation: Over the past five years, the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) has been evaluated in several independent external reviews conducted by nationally-recognized technical experts qualified in the technical aspects of the Campaign - experimental and theoretical physics, defense science, component and facility design and engineering, construction, project management, and project execution. A review conducted by the JASON group in FY 2005 assessed the plan and prospects for achieving ignition at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) by 2010, including the use of beryllium targets. Another review by the Defense Science Board Task Force reviewed the physics plans for the program. These reviews and evaluations occur on a regular basis, and, taken together, validate the ICF program's purpose, direction, and long-term strategy and provide valuable, focused inputs for design, engineering, technical and scientific issues, construction, and project management. Because the NIF isn't routinely on-line yet, reviews of the operation and science program will occur in the future.

Evidence: Some examples of external independent reviews include: 1. Defense Science Board Task Force focused on the proposed use of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) for high energy density experimental physics involving both ignition and "non-ignition" experiments and the overall balance and priority of activities needed to meet the near- and long-term goals of stockpile stewardship. 2. The JASON group in FY 2005 assessed the plan and prospects for achieving ICF ignition at the NIF by 2010, including the use of beryllium targets. The reviewers were independent.

Are Budget requests explicitly tied to accomplishment of the annual and long-term performance goals, and are the resource needs presented in a complete and transparent manner in the program's budget?

Explanation: The budget requests for the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign are tied to accomplishment of the performance goals and are presented in a complete and clear manner in the program's budget. The Campaign develops an annual Program Implementation Plan that describes past accomplishments, performance in meeting milestones, major technical efforts and statements of work, and associated high-level milestones. This Plan is the primary document that identifies and relates accomplishments and progress with the resource needs, and is consistent with the funding levels specified in the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) budget request, work authorization, and approved funding plan. Funding for the program is displayed clearly in the annual Congressional Budget Request materials.

Evidence: The overall work scope and budget are presented in the President's budget request to Congress. The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Program Plan describes the mission need for the Campaign and ties it to the DOE Defense Program long-term goals with linkages to the NNSA Strategic Plan. Budgets and work scope for the Campaign are presented in the annual Program Implementation Plan. The Program Implementation Plan also establishes performance expectations for the program and each participant (site/contractor) for the current year of execution. The National Nuclear Security Administration 2009 Congressional Request, page 165, displays program funding from year 2007 to 2013.

Has the program taken meaningful steps to correct its strategic planning deficiencies?

Explanation: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) has taken specific meaningful steps to correct strategic planning deficiencies. The Campaign also reexamines progress toward implementation of the recommendations made during recent external independent reviews of program activities. For example, the ICF program made important changes to the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) strategy in response to the 2005 JASON group review of ignition. For example, standing committees (with members from outside of the site management and operation leadership) have been assembled to continually review and critique the target design parameters. These committees include "red teams" that exhaustively critique any proposed design changes. This committee environment recommended retaining two options (Beryllium and plastics) for the target ablator as an important contribution to risk reduction. This strategy change has been adopted and put under formal NIC change control. As recommended by the JASON group, more computing power has been allocated to ignition design issues. A striking example of this is the fact that the first complete calculation on the world's fastest and first petaflop computer (the Roadrunner system at Los Alamos) was devoted to an ignition-based laser matter calculation.

Evidence: The annually updated multi-year Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign Program Plan describes the mission need for the Campaign and ties it to the Department of Energy Defense Program long-term goals with linkages to the National Nuclear Security Administration Strategic Plan. Recommendations found in external independent assessments of the Campaign are reviewed with appropriate participating organizations. 2005 JASON group review contained recommendations on target designs and computing power that were adopted.

Has the agency/program conducted a recent, meaningful, credible analysis of alternatives that includes trade-offs between cost, schedule, risk, and performance goals, and used the results to guide the resulting activity?

Explanation: The annual Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) Implementation Plan discusses, as appropriate, alternative strategies and approaches as well as trade-offs and why the ones being used were selected. The National Ignition Campaign (NIC) standing target design committee, with members from various NNSA laboratories, recently conducted an exhaustive re-evaluation of target design options. This analysis recommended retaining two options (Beryllium and plastics) for the target ablator as an important contribution to risk reduction. The analysis further concluded that this significant risk reduction could be pursued with negligible impact on project cost. The NIC Earned Value Management system (EVMS) and the national ICF milestone tracking system both provide indicators that trigger analyses when adequate progress is not achieved. Recently both EVMS and milestone tracking indicated that a simple schedule change in delivery of a key system could save considerable resources. This change in scheduling has been implemented.

Evidence: External Independent Reviews such as those cited in the evidence section for Question 2.6 include recommendations for corrective actions and possible risk mitigation strategies. The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign Program and Implementation Plans as well as the National Ignition Facility and National Ignition Campaign Execution Plans also provide discussions of alternatives and trade-offs between cost, schedule, risk, and performance goals. Risk mitigation documents for the National Ignition Facility and National Ignition Campaign are other examples of documents used to guide program activities.

If applicable, does the program assess and compare the potential benefits of efforts within the program and (if relevant) to other efforts in other programs that have similar goals?

Explanation: There are no other efforts in the United States that have the same or similar goals or capabilities as the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF). The nature and scope of the ICF, a program within the Stockpile Stewardship Program, is uniquely defined by the need for appropriate stewardship of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile and for maintaining a U.S. technology base adequate to provide this support.

Evidence: The President's Budget/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Future-Years Nuclear Security Program (FYNSP), the NNSA Stockpile Stewardship Plan, and the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign Program Plan describe the unique goals and capabilities of the Campaign.

Does the program use a prioritization process to guide budget requests and funding decisions?

Explanation: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) uses a prioritization process to guide budget requests and funding decisions. A set of Defense Programs priorities is defined annually as part of the strategic planning guidance for program planning and budget formulation. The Campaign follows the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Evaluation process to document priorities and budget requests within the Stockpile Stewardship Program including the National Ignition Facility, the National Ignition Campaign, and other program activities. The ICF Campaign holds annual meetings with senior NNSA Defense Programs managers and ICF Executives (contractors supporting ICF) to review budget requests and guidance including budget decrements and additions. Budget impacts are reviewed and trade-offs are analyzed to determine optimum funding allocations to achieve program objectives. Decisions, including program directions and prioritization, are documented in Program and Executions Plans, and are updated at least annually.

Evidence: The President's Budget/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Future-Years Nuclear Security Program (FYNSP) documents the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign goals, priorities, and budget in the context of the overall weapons activities. The Campaign Program Plan and Program Implementation Plan describe the program priorities and funding decisions, respectively.

Does the agency regularly collect timely and credible performance information, including information from key program partners, and use it to manage the program and improve performance?

Explanation: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) management collects timely and credible performance information from program participants on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis and actively uses this information to manage and improve performance. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) project and National Ignition Campaign (NIC) program provide monthly progress reports and briefings to the ICF Campaign managers and senior National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) officials, covering progress highlights, status of reportable milestones, and cost and schedule variances by specific work elements. The ICF Campaign management uses this information to monitor performance and ensure that timely and effective corrective actions are taken as necessary. For example, the Monthly Reports are signed and submitted by the participating laboratories and are reviewed by the Director of the NIF Project and NIC Program. The Monthly Reports document progress toward the performance measures and milestones. In addition, the NIF Project and the NIC Program use a certified Earned Value Management System (EVMS) to monitor project performance against the project and program baseline cost and schedule plans. As a result of these continual updates, and adjustments that are made, the program has kept on a schedule to complete construction in 2009 and demonstrate ignition in 2010. See the next question for a specific example of the sort of adjustments made.

Evidence: Reports used to manage the program and improve performance include Monthly Progress Reports submitted by contractors responsible for the National Ignition Facility, National Ignition Campaign, Z Refurbishment, and Omega Enhanced Performance projects and used to manage the program and improve performance. Quarterly Program Reviews provided to senior National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) leadership report on milestone performance, budget execution, and earned value as well as issues requiring attention, and the status of corrective actions taken to address identified issues. Earned Value Management is a methodology that allows both Government and Contractor Program Managers to have visibility into cost, schedule, and technical progress on their contracts to measure and manage performance. Documentation on EVMS shows how EVMS data is used to determine percent complete status and indicates that the EVMS is certified.

Are Federal managers and program partners (including grantees, sub-grantees, contractors, cost-sharing partners, and other government partners) held accountable for cost, schedule and performance results?

Explanation: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign's (ICF) Federal managers are held accountable for program cost, scope, and schedule performance results through the performance measurement system established by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). For example, the FY 2006 fourth quarterly report to Congress, a report on specific milestones, showed a delay in two moderately high level (Level 2) National Ignition Campaign (NIC) milestones on cryogenics measures and validation of polar direct drive. In response to the delay, the NIC Federal Program Manager and the responsible contractor were able to identify the root cause and devise a path forward to resolve the delays. The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign's (ICF) contractors' performance is evaluated through Performance Evaluation Plans, which are used to assess performance and award fees.

Evidence: The ICF Quarterly Program Reviews contain quarterly performance results and corrective actions. The FY 2006 Fourth Quarterly Report to Congress is a report on the milestones and schedule variance within the NIF Project and a progress report on the NIC Program. FY 2006 and FY 2007 management and operating (M&O) contractor Site Performance Evaluation Plans document performance requirements and the FY 2007 M&O site evaluations document results of contractor evaluation.

Are funds (Federal and partners') obligated in a timely manner, spent for the intended purpose and accurately reported?

Explanation: Funding is allocated at the start of the year according to the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign Implementation Plan and Department of Energy (DOE) Approved Funding Plan. Campaign managers review financial reports and monitor work activities performed by program participants on a monthly basis. For the larger projects, the National Ignition Facility and the National Ignition Campaign, detailed spending plans are developed and earned value reporting is used to track actual expenditures against the approved plans. The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign obligates close to 100% of their entire authorized budget every year. In FY 2007, the year-end unobligated funds were $27,000. In concert with the Government Accountability Office, the DOE Chief Financial Officer established an analysis methodology and associated thresholds for obligated, but unexpended balances. The DOE Chief Financial Officer analyzes the balances and reports annually to Congress on DOE's performance. The Campaign's obligated, but unexpended balances at year end for FY 2004 through FY 2007 have shown a marked improvement as follows: FY 2004 - 18.3% vs. 17.6% DOE threshold; FY 2005 - 24.6% vs.18.1%, FY 2006 - 20.3% vs. 18.0%; and FY 2007 - 14.6% exactly equivalent to the DOE threshold. Further analysis showed that performance in FY 2005 and FY 2006 was the result of numerous continuing resolutions resulting in award and obligation of funding later in the year and therefore disrupting the expected costing baseline for the year. The DOE's FY 2007 Consolidated Financial Statements received an unqualified audit opinion (the highest audit opinion to be rendered by a Certified Public Accountant) by the Office of the Inspector General as presented in the DOE FY 2007 Agency Financial Report.

Evidence: The FY 2007 and FY 2008 program-related Approved Funding Plan and Work Authorization files document the scope and funding levels for Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign activities. Monthly financial reports in the DOE/NNSA Integrated Data Warehouse and year-to-date spending reports document program expenditures. Monthly project reports indicate actual versus planned expenditures. Audit results from the Office of the Inspector General's audit of the DOE FY 2007 Consolidated Financial Statements are presented in the DOE FY 2007 Agency Financial Report.

Does the program have procedures (e.g. competitive sourcing/cost comparisons, IT improvements, appropriate incentives) to measure and achieve efficiencies and cost effectiveness in program execution?

Explanation: The National Ignition Campaign (NIC), as the operational part of the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) program, is managed as an "enhanced management activity" under National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) rules requiring project-type controls and a formal baseline. The NIC uses an earned value management system (EVMS) to monitor actual costs and schedules against the approved baseline to determine activity execution efficiency. The ICF program, as a part of the NNSA, participates in the award process for the Management and Operating contracts at the national laboratories. Also as an example, the Program conducted a Target Fabrication Business Case Study which compared various options for the purchase of targets and used that Study to guide the subsequent selection process. The Campaign has two efficiency measures, one to reduce operating cost each year, and another to reduce annual average hours required to prepare for experiments at the Z Facility. The operating cost per year measure will be made up of costs for personnel supporting operation of the facility, facilities maintenance costs, utilities costs and management costs. This measurement is important as the three facilities will be long-term claimants on agency costs and decreases to operations costs will free up funds for other priority programs, or to help reduce deficits. The measure will be adjusted for facilities that are actually operational in any given year. Until the National Ignition Facility comes on line, the Z Facility is the major claimant on NIC operating resources, and its efficiency measure is significant for the program as a whole. In some cases such as the National Ignition Facility and National Ignition Campaign, project execution plans specify acquisition strategies for subcontracted and outsourced work. The contractor for the National Ignition Facility construction has worked extensively with industrial sources to develop required technologies and control component production costs. Multiple vendors have been employed where appropriate to maintain a competitive environment to help reduce costs. Vendor contracts with incentive clauses have also been employed to ensure on-time delivery for critical path components and services and to maintain product quality and reduce inspection time.

Evidence: The NIC monthly reports include Earned Value Management System (EVMS) data. Procurement and acquisition strategies are contained in the National Ignition Facility and National Ignition Campaign Project Execution Plans, management and operating contracts, and cooperative agreements with Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign program participants. Site management and operating contractor FY 2007 and FY 2008 Performance Evaluation Plans and the FY 2007 annual assessment evaluate processes and/or actions that improve performance and reduce costs. The National Ignition Facility project acquisition strategy and vendor list provide a list of qualified vendors that are eligible to bid on competitive requests for proposals. DOE Order 413.3A also provides evidence of processes and procedures required to measure and achieve efficiencies and improvements in project execution.

Does the program collaborate and coordinate effectively with related programs?

Explanation: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) effectively collaborates in achieving Stockpile Stewardship Program science goals and coordinates with other related programs. For example, the ICF Campaign supports several activities in the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Science and Engineering Campaigns by providing facilities, facility infrastructure, and scientific expertise to enable important stockpile stewardship experiments. The ICF also collaborates with related programs abroad through bilateral agreements with France and the United Kingdom. The Campaign provides facility time, infrastructure support, and in some cases research grants to U.S. and international academic institutions through the National Laser Users Facility program at the University of Rochester, the Joint Program in High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas (with the Department of Energy Office of Science), and through access to other NNSA facilities. In addition, the Campaign conducts joint campaign reviews with the NNSA Science Campaign and holds topical workshops to facilitate interactions with other portions of the Stockpile Stewardship Program.

Evidence: The University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics 2007 Annual Report describes collaboration in the sections on the FY 2007 Laser Facility Report and National Laser Users' Facility and External Users' Programs. The FY 2008 Congressional Budget Request (page 158) summarizes the Joint Program in High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas. International agreements include the Agreement for Cooperation in Research, Development, and Applications of High Energy Lasers and High Energy Laser-Matter Interaction Physics with France and the 1958 United States-United Kingdom Agreement for Cooperation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defense Purposes.

Does the program use strong financial management practices?

Explanation: The Department of Energy (DOE) provides the accounting services for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The financial management processes used by the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF), as a part of the NNSA, meet all statutory requirements and provide appropriate internal control. The Budget and Program organization within NNSA reviews cost expenditure reports on a monthly basis and monitors obligations and costs for all projects at participating contractor sites. The DOE's FY 2007 Consolidated Financial Statements received an unqualified audit opinion (the highest audit opinion to be rendered by a Certified Public Accountant) by the Office of the Inspector General as presented in the DOE FY 2007 Agency Financial Report.

Evidence: The Department of Energy Financial Management Orders specify the requirements for financial management. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) maintains the STARS financial reports. The NNSA Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Evaluation guidance documents located on the NNSA web site provide evidence of the strong financial management practices employed by the program. The DOE FY 2007 Agency Financial Report, including a Memorandum for the Secretary of Energy from the Inspector General, summarizes the independent public auditors' opinion on the DOE FY 2007 Consolidated Financial Statements.

Has the program taken meaningful steps to address its management deficiencies?

Explanation: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) has taken several meaningful steps to address management deficiencies over the past few years. For example, the ICF Campaign clarified its performance measures, beginning in 2004, by adding specific end points to represent program goals. Also the office responsible for overseeing the National Ignition Facility (NIF) construction project was integrated into the ICF organization, which enhanced coordination and project communications. In addition, in 2005, as required by Congressional action, the ICF program established the National Ignition Campaign (NIC), an integrated, multi-site effort focused on achieving ignition in the laboratory. The NIC is managed as an Enhanced Management Activity in accordance with National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Program Management Manual to ensure focus on and commitment to this important program priority. NIC, like the National Ignition Facility, also has a very detailed Execution Plan, with a scope, schedule, and cost baseline approved by NNSA program management. NIC also utilizes a cost accounting system incorporating earned value reporting to track actual cost and schedule performance against its approved baseline and a change control system to direct decisions for changes to the appropriate management level. As a result of these steps, the NIF is scheduled for completion in FY 2009 and the NIC is also on schedule and within budget to begin the first ignition experiments in FY 2010.

Evidence: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign Program and Implementation Plans, National Ignition Facility Project and National Ignition Execution Plans, and National Ignition Facility Activation and Early Use Plan all provide evidence of the measures taken to significantly improve program execution and performance results.

Is the program managed by maintaining clearly defined deliverables, capability/performance characteristics, and appropriate, credible cost and schedule goals?

Explanation: The primary deliverables of the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) are state-of-the-art laser and pulsed power facilities (near term), achievement of ignition and thermonuclear burn in the laboratory (near term), and the scientific understanding of weapons performance, absent nuclear testing, to support the Stockpile Stewardship Program (mid- to long- term). The ICF Campaign has developed project execution plans that clearly define deliverables, performance requirements, and cost and schedule goals. The level of detail in the various plans is commensurate with the complexity of the project or program. Thus, complex efforts such as the National Ignition Facility and the National Ignition Campaign have detailed plans and use rigorous project management methodologies to monitor progress. A graded approach is used for execution plans for other Campaign elements. The information contained in the program execution plans (e.g., statements of work, milestones, work schedules, and resource requirements) is incorporated into the Campaign Program and Implementation Plans consistent with approved budgets.

Evidence: The ICF Campaign Program and Implementation Plans and the National Ignition Facility and National Ignition Campaign Execution Plans provide evidence of effective program management through clearly defined deliverables, performance expectations, and cost and schedule goals. The FY 2007 and FY 2008 management and operating contractor Performance Evaluation Plans and FY 2007 evaluations also show that the ICF Campaign manages program performance.

For R&D programs other than competitive grants programs, does the program allocate funds and use management processes that maintain program quality?

Explanation: The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) program managers evaluate program requirements and identify the technical approach that can best meet those requirements. Specific program plans are developed by participating laboratories to address the identified program requirements. When appropriate, the ICF Campaign requests competitive responses to ensure the most innovative and highest quality work plans are developed. The Campaign program managers evaluate the specific program plans and make recommendations to senior Campaign managers, who determine how research and development funds are allocated. Contractor execution plans are then written commensurate with the funding level and describe the scope of work and milestones with completion criteria that will be tracked to monitor performance against the plan. Completion of milestones along with technical briefings, written reports, and papers published in peer reviewed journals are used by Campaign program managers to assess the quality and progress of the work performed. The Campaign uses project management tools such as earned value reporting to assess actual progress against plans.

Evidence: Documents that describe management processes that address program quality include the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign Program Plan, the Campaign Program Implementation Plan, the NNSA Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Evaluation guidance on the NNSA web site, the FY 2007 and FY 2008 site Management and Operating contractor Performance Evaluation Plans and evaluations, and the National Ignition Facility Project and National Ignition Campaign Execution Plan. External Independent Reviews listed in the Evidence Section of Question 2.6 have also evaluated processes that address program quality.

Has the program demonstrated adequate progress in achieving its long-term performance goals?

Explanation: The program to date has had two primary long-term (5-10 year) performance goals??progress toward completion of the 192 laser beam facility (the NIF) and progress toward demonstrating thermonuclear ignition--for which it is achieving good progress. The facility was 94% complete as of 2007 (to be finished in 2009) and the ignition campaign was 80% complete in 2007 (to achieve ignition in 2009), as measured by Earned Value Management System (EVMS) reports. Other less aggregated means of assessing progress have included technical reviews, completion of milestones, presentation of technical data at national and international conferences, and publication of results in peer reviewed scientific journals. For example, in mid-2004, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) began operating its first four beams and demonstrated that NIF could meet all technical performance specifications based on single beam experiments, thus validating the laser design. A comprehensive paper describing all of the laser performance data to date has been published in a well respected peer reviewed journal and presented at numerous conferences. With 4 beams activated, NIF was at the time, the most powerful laser in the world and for about 18 months was used for high energy density science experiments. This work resulted in the publication of about 17 peer reviewed papers. Similar publications have resulted from ongoing work on the Omega laser and the Z facility supporting the first ignition attempts in 2010 on NIF. For example, the highest fuel density ever achieved for an ignition relevant laboratory implosion, a key precursor to "Ignition 2010," was reported this year on Omega. Likewise, work on Z was published demonstrating that perturbations arising from small fill-tubes used to introduce the fuel into the ignition capsule will not be a problem, an important risk reduction activity for the NIC. In general, the research and development elements of the Campaign have met the majority of technical milestones and performance commitments, including all major deliverables. The NIF is on schedule to begin ignition and burn experiments in 2010.

Evidence: Progress in achieving long-term performance goals is documented in the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign Program Plan, Campaign Program Implementation Plan, and Campaign Program Level 1 & 2 milestone status on the Defense Programs Milestone Reporting Tool (MRT), as well as EVMS reports. The MRT is the formal reference instrument for recording the status of milestone progress. Performance data is also documented in the FY 2005 and FY 2006 Department of Energy (DOE) Performance and Accountability Reports, and the FY 2007 DOE Agency Performance Report. External independent reviews listed under question 2.6 also provide evidence of progress toward goals. Articles published in journals such as "Physical Review Letters," "Nuclear Fusion," "Physics and Plasmas," and "Applied Optics" discuss Campaign achievements.

Does the program (including program partners) achieve its annual performance goals?

Explanation: All major program milestones, although technically very challenging, have been met on time/ahead of and at/under budget (relative to the 2005 baseline). The Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign annually tracks aggregate progress with its Earned Value Management System about 30-35 high level milestones and over a hundred lower-level supporting milestones. Using FY 2007 as an example, the following high level milestones were completed: 1) the highest fuel density ever achieved for an ignition-relevant laboratory implosion was demonstrated on Omega, a fuel density more than adequate for ignition on the National Ignition Facility; 2) an experiment conducted at the Z facility demonstrated key material properties critical for successful ignition experiments, and; 3) ignition fuel conditions were produced that met or exceeded specifications. Occasionally, research and development milestones require modifications in schedule due to the inherent difficulties in forecasting scientific progress or problems at vendors impacting procurement delivery times. For example one Z facility milestone, to measure the pressure created on materials samples, was slightly delayed (from fourth quarter FY 2007 to first quarter FY 2008) due to a short term delay in delivery of hardware. The performance measures section displays annual targets versus achievements and shows that annual goals are being met.

Evidence: Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign Program Plan and Campaign Program Implementation Plan document past and current performance against funded activities. The Defense Programs (DP) Milestone Reporting Tool (MRT) is the formal reference instrument for recording the status of milestone progress; quarterly reports to Congress indicate progress toward milestones; the Campaign annual program briefings for senior NNSA management detail accomplishments and status of performance toward annual performance goals; external independent reviews listed under Question 2.6 all contain evidence on performance.

Does the program demonstrate improved efficiencies or cost effectiveness in achieving program goals each year?

Explanation: The Program has efficiency measures as stated in 3.4, "Annual average hours??to prepare the Z facility for an experiment". The Program has met that target in recent years, with 10.3 hours required in 2006 versus the target 11 hours. In 2007, however, no new experiments were started, yielding a not very meaningful 0 hours. This efficiency measure, by itself, is quite narrow as it measures only a small part of activities in the overall program (which have been oriented toward construction and startup of the National Ignition Facility). However, if the measurable activity within the Z facility was more vigorous, and if the index showed evidence of increasing efficiency, a score of LARGE EXTENT or YES would have been allowed. Given the combination of the narrowness of the measure and the absence of results in 2007, this permits at most a SMALL EXTENT rating. Since its inception, the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) has taken steps to improve efficiency and cost effectiveness. Examples of efficiencies beyond those reflected by the measure above, include developing multiple vendors to ensure a competitive procurement environment for facility components and equipment to reduce program costs. Other steps include developing facility components and equipment such as optics, lasing material, and diagnostics that can be used at multiple facilities and integrating experimental activities across all of the major Campaign facilities (National Ignition Facility, Omega, and Z) so that duplication of effort is minimized. A strategy for recycling optics components at the National Ignition Facility resulted in a cost avoidance of approximately $30 million per year, allowing the project to direct these savings toward performance of program milestones. A change to the capsule fill tube for the ignition capsule reduced the cost of the target handling system by approximately $95 million. A lean/Six-sigma process was used to identify operating efficiencies at the Z facility, resulting in increased productivity and shorter intervals between experiments. The Campaign also leverages international agreements in laser and pulsed power technology for technical benefits and cost efficiency. For example, the Campaign jointly shared the development cost of making laser glass and developing advanced optics manufacturing technologies with the French Government. These activities have enabled the Campaign to avoid cost and achieve progress toward program goals. Given the significant additional efforts to improve efficiency beyond the sole official measure, the program does rate a (relatively full) SMALL EXTENT.

Evidence: Pages 2 and 5 of the ICF briefing to NNSA management for the FY 2009 budget cycle present information on the cost avoidance and cost efficiencies achieved on the Campaign. The agreement between the U.S. and France for cost sharing of laser glass development documents how the Campaign is leveraging international agreements to avoid cost and advance progress to program goals.

Does the performance of this program compare favorably to other programs, including government, private, etc., with similar purpose and goals?

Explanation: No other government or private sector program has a purpose or goals similar to this program

Evidence: N/A

Do independent evaluations of sufficient scope and quality indicate that the program is effective and achieving results?

Explanation: Independent evaluations of the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign (ICF) indicate that the program is effective and achieving results. These evaluations include the reviews by the Defense Science Board (DSB) Task Force in 2004, the JASON group in 2005, and an Independent Project Review conducted in 2008 by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Office of Project Management and Systems Support. . The scope of these reviews has ranged from the proposed use of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to meet the near- and long-term goals of the Stockpile Stewardship Program (meeting the science goals of the program), including the prospects for achieving ignition by 2010 on the National Ignition Facility, to assessing progress of planning and construction of the National Ignition Facility Project and the National Ignition Campaign including technical, cost, schedule, and management, with particular emphasis on the plans and status for project completion. These reviews indicate that both the National Ignition Facility and the National Ignition Campaign are meeting their respective technical objectives on schedule and within the cost baseline. For example, the DSB reported that "The NIF Project at LLNL is clearly being managed with high competency." (The NIF is based at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.) The JASON group stated (in part) that "We were very impressed during that visit by the accomplishments made by the NIF project and the planning efforts described by members of the National Ignition Campaign team."

Evidence: Examples of independent reviews and evaluations are listed in the evidence section provided for Question 2.6. The charge letter for the 2008 review indicates that the review is to be independent and is to be conducted in accordance with the NNSA procedure for Independent Project Reviews. Reviews have consistently verified the mission need and feasibility of the technical approach. Recent reviews report consistent progress in addressing earlier program management deficiencies, conclude that the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign is well managed and achieving results, and recommend continued focus on facility users and coordination among Federal organizations. Evidence of NIF meeting its technical objective is the recently published peer review journal paper in Applied Optics detailing NIF performance against specifications.

Were program goals achieved within budgeted costs and established schedules?

Explanation: The Lehman 2005 independent project review concluded that the construction of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) continues to track its baseline plan and the project made appropriate adjustments to address funding reductions in the FY 2005 congressional appropriation. This report also concluded that the revised project completion strategy documented in the National Ignition Facility revised baseline minimizes potential disruptions to project installation and integration activities and provides opportunity to leverage new technology developments and lessons learned. A follow-on Lehman independent project review in 2006 reaffirmed that the (NIF) was tracking its revised baseline plan and that the organization and definition of the National Ignition Campaign plan was appropriate although at an early stage of development. The other major construction project within the Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign, the Omega Extended Performance facility at the University of Rochester was just completed (at the end of April 2008) within budget and on schedule.

Evidence: Examples of independent reviews and evaluations are listed in the evidence section provided for Question 2.6. Reviews, particularly the FY 2005 and 2006 Lehman Reviews, have verified program progress relative to cost and schedule baselines. The President's Budget and Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield Campaign Program and Implementation Plans describe program objectives, accomplishments, and completion of program milestones versus allocated budgets.