In his testimony, Dr. Hecker comments on the National Nuclear Security Administration's Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation programs and 2009 budget request. He recommends a significant expansion of DOE/NNSA's programs beyond the president's budget request, aggressive expansion of cooperative threat reduction programs to nations that require either technical or financial assistance, and strong support for the DOE/NNSA Next Generation Safeguards Initiative and other efforts aimed at attracting technical talent.