NNSA's nonproliferation and counterterrorism capabilities serve as America's nuclear shield, protecting the homeland through a multi-layered defense. The groundbreaking at ORNL is the first step in introducing critical new capabilities for that effort.
National Nuclear Security Administration
June 3, 2026
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The Advanced Testbed and Operations Learning Laboratory will help keep America safe from the threat of nuclear proliferation while contributing to nuclear energy developments
WASHINGTON – The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced the launch of a new state-of-the-art 21,000-square-foot facility designed to safeguard the nation from nuclear proliferation at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
The Advanced Testbed and Operations Learning Laboratory (ATOLL) will develop critical workforce expertise and capabilities essential to monitoring foreign weapons-grade uranium production activities. The project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2028.
NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams joined Tennessee Congressman Chuck Fleischmann and ORNL Director Dr. Stephen K. Streiffer at a groundbreaking ceremony.
“It takes a weapons program to know a weapons program,” said Administrator Williams. “At NNSA, we deter adversaries by being experts in atomic science and weapons production, and the investment in ATOLL strengthens our understanding of both.”
Uranium enrichment is the foundation of the nuclear energy industry, turning natural uranium into enriched material capable of producing energy in nuclear reactors. However, if this technology were to fall into the wrong hands, rogue states could use it to produce weapons-grade uranium for a nuclear bomb. ATOLL will enhance U.S. capabilities to tell the difference in how a country is using these technologies and material, reinforcing U.S. leadership in global nonproliferation efforts.
This initiative will also advance President Trump’s energy dominance agenda and his Executive Orders on nuclear energy by contributing to the growing nuclear infrastructure being built in Tennessee, providing critical expertise that can be leveraged by American industry to revitalize domestic civil nuclear capabilities.
“Our nation’s nuclear deterrent and the NNSA enterprise that maintains it serve as the foundation of our national defense. My highest priority as Chairman of the House Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee is ensuring this nuclear security enterprise is properly resourced,” said Congressman Fleischmann. “DNN plays an essential defensive role within our deterrence architecture by enabling the detection and attribution of adversary nuclear programs and capabilities. The scientific and technological expertise of our national labs are critical enablers for NNSA’s national security missions. The Advanced Testbed and Operations Learning Laboratory being built here at ORNL will provide the cutting edge scientific facilities needed to perform critical nonproliferation missions, as the ability to monitor foreign nuclear production and weapons activities is essential to our national defense and extended deterrence commitments. I was honored to participate in the groundbreaking for this important demonstration of these tremendous partnerships advancing U.S. national security.”
ATOLL is part of the Nonproliferation Stewardship Program (NSP) within NNSA’s Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation. The program supports nonproliferation capabilities through vital technical infrastructure, science, and one-of-a-kind nuclear testbeds. NSP is critical to ensuring that America’s National Laboratories have an expert nonproliferation workforce that is prepared to protect the nation from the threats of today and tomorrow.
“It takes a weapons program to know a weapons program. At NNSA, we deter adversaries by being experts in atomic science and weapons production, and the investment in ATOLL strengthens our understanding of both.
-- NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams