Naval Reactors

Naval Reactors (NR), which administers the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program,^[1] is an umbrella term for the U.S. government office that has comprehensive responsibility for the safe and reliable operation of the United States Navy's nuclear reactors "from womb to tomb."^[2][3] A single entity, it has authority and reporting responsibilities within both the Naval Sea Systems Command (SEA 08)^[4] and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NA-30).^[5][6] Moreover, the Director of Naval Reactors also serves as a special assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations for Naval Nuclear Propulsion (Code N00N).^[7]

Naval Reactors is headed by a Navy four-star admiral. The director serves for a nominal eight-year term of office, the longest standard assignment in the U.S. military.^[8][9] The program was originally created under Executive Order 12344^[10] by the President Ronald Reagan, on February 1, 1982. The director was concurrently assigned as the deputy administrator for Naval Reactors for the National Nuclear Security Administration via Pub. L. 98–525 (50 U.S.C. § 2406) on October 19, 1984 in order to assist them in the research, design, development, health, and safety matters pertaining to naval nuclear propulsion plants via 42 U.S.C. § 7158. Executive Order 12344 was made a permanent federal program via Pub. L. 106–65 (text) (PDF) of October 5, 1999 (50 U.S.C. § 2511).^[11]