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Protecting America's Future — The Y-12 National Security Complex stands ready to address the existing and emerging national security challenges facing our nation and our world today.

Index: Fulfilling the Mission

Fulfilling the mission

Y‑12 provides manufacturing, technical, and scientific expertise to produce components, subassemblies, and quality evaluations to sustain a U.S. nuclear deterrent. To this end Y‑12 has manufactured components for every weapon system in the U.S. stockpile and currently maintains or dismantles and dispositions parts for 19 different nuclear weapon systems. Over the past 10 years, Y‑12 has met or exceeded its goals for dismantlements and dispositioning of parts.

As the world’s leader in enriched uranium processing, Y‑12 applies its capabilities to help protect the United States.

As the world’s leader in enriched uranium processing, Y‑12 applies its capabilities to help protect the United States.

  • Through continuous improvements in the Life Extension Program, Y‑12 exceeded program requirements and decreased the cost per unit for the W87, B61, and W76 programs.
  • By redesigning and streamlining the process and redefining requirements, Y‑12 significantly increased the pace and rate of dismantlements in the inactive stockpile. In FY 2009, Y‑12 achieved the highest throughput for dismantlements in 25 years and the highest recycle and reuse of enriched uranium (EU) materials in decades.
  • In 2007, the last dismantlement unit for the W56, W55, and the B61 Mod 2 and Mod 5 systems eliminated these weapon types from the stockpile, marking the first time Y‑12 achieved four LDUs in the same year.
  • In conjunction with the Fissile Materials Disposition Program, Y‑12 developed a new Type B fissile material shipping container. The ES‑3100 will carry 50% more uranium than the previous container and improve efficiency in the transport of materials.
  • All commitments were met for delivery of highly enriched uranium to Naval Reactors and the U.S. Navy submarine fleet, consistently exceeding production schedules.
  • Four facilities were declassified to below a Hazard Category 3 Nuclear facility, eliminating the cost burden of Safety Basis documents and controls for these facilities. Safety basis deactivation of 9204‑4, 9201‑5/5E, 9201‑5N/W, and the 9720‑38 warehouse reduced administrative controls and reporting responsibilities and improved efficiency of remaining operations in these facilities, including the mission-critical machining operations within the 9201‑5N/W complex.