The National Nuclear Security Administration is responsible for managing the
high-explosive firing facilities used by the Stockpile Stewardship Program. In 1995, Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory justified the need for a firing facility at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The Big
Explosives Experimental Facility (BEEF), under the direction of the Nevada Operations Office (Nevada),
was designed and operated to perform large-load, high-explosive experiments that could not be done at
other Department of Energy (DOE) firing facilities. The objective of this audit was to determine if the
BEEF needed to operate on a full-time basis.
