Technical and Analytical Support Services for the NNSA (NA-22) Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development

Sigma Science provides technical and analytical support services for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN) Research and Development (NA-22) under an $11.7M 5-year contract, awarded in April 2022 under the TEPS II contracting vehicle. Sigma Science is the prime contractor for this contract; subcontractors include TechSource, Inc. and Leidos Holdings, Inc. 

The contract scope calls for research personnel who are nonproliferation subject matter experts (SMEs) to provide consultation, facilitation, analytical, and technical services to enable the DNN research and development (R&D) mission and functions, which include:

• Detect, locate, and characterize foreign nuclear weapons development activities.
• Detect the presence, movement, and diversion of special nuclear material (SNM), including for interdiction, emergency response, and safeguards.
• Monitor and verify nuclear arms control treaties.
• Detect, monitor, and characterize underground, surface-interacting, atmospheric, and space-based nuclear detonations.
• Sustain nonproliferation capabilities to meet future challenges through enabling infrastructure, science and technology, and an expert workforce.

Sigma Science also provides professional support for security services, compliance, nuclear R&D program analysis, and nuclear science and engineering. The Sigma team also includes SMEs well-experienced with nuclear nonproliferation, advanced remote sensing, and data science technologies. Under this contract, the Sigma team currently provides five full-time on-site staff with on-demand access to 13 nonproliferation SMEs.

Key work scopes include:

• Provide U.S. security, compliance, associated technical and logistical support, and international support for meetings and exchanges for U.S. and world-related NNSA nuclear nonproliferation research.
• Manage information for classified and unclassified programs.
• Provide nuclear R&D program analysis (for interagency engagement)
• Perform DNN program review support and DNN program execution, define new and improved R&D performance metrics and requirements traceability items, and provide documentation support.
• Provide SMEs with nuclear nonproliferation technology expertise (e.g., data science, artificial intelligence, remote sensing, nuclear phenomenology, nuclear materials, nuclear engineering).
• Perform site security officer duties and logistics for classified visits, meetings, clearances, and communications.
• Perform DNN R&D action officer duties (e.g., routing and monitoring taskers and associated actions throughout the DNN program, including government staff and personnel).

Key contract accomplishments include:

• Contributed to the NNSA FY2024–FY2028 nuclear nonproliferation annual report delivered to the U.S. Congress (part of the NNSA strategic plan to reduce global nuclear threats).
• Provided DNN R&D input for final recommendations on data science for Department of State Nuclear Defense Fund stakeholders (for assessment of current and future Artificial Intelligence capabilities applicable to DNN’s missions).
• Provided technical subject matter expertise, performing technical reviews of the 2023 research proposal submitted to DNN from industry and DOE-NNSA laboratories (Sandia National Laboratories, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Las Alamos National Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory).
• Represented the DNN at various U.S. and international conferences (e.g., the Nuclear Explosion Monitoring Conference, the Nuclear Security and Applications Research and Development conference, the SPIE Future Sensing Technologies Conference, and the IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference).