In light of evolving global security threats to the nation, the goal of LANS is to make Los Alamos National Laboratory a premier national security laboratory. They have joined forces to revitalize laboratory operations and business systems; to improve workforce morale; to develop and deliver new and more advanced national security science and technology to operate a world-class nuclear manufacturing capability; to better integrate with the Nuclear Weapons Council (NWC); to maintain and strengthen critical skills; to revitalize the site's aging infrastructure; to be part of National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) responsive infrastructure; and to operate a safe, secure, and compliant national laboratory.

The core values of the Laboratory combine security awareness, intellectual freedom, and scientific excellence with national service to generate scientific and engineering solutions for the nations most pressing problems. Maintaining the nation's nuclear stockpile is LANL's most important job; certifying that the nation's nuclear weapons remain safe and reliable without underground testing remains the biggest technical challenge. The Laboratory is the second-largest manufacturing site in the nuclear weapons complex and one of only two national laboratories operating at this high level of mission importance and scientific excellence.