International

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 5/29/2015 As developments over the past year seem to have strengthened NATO’s desire to keep U.S. tactical nukes in Europe, the “burden” for those weapons should be shared, a top nuclear policy analyst said during a speech in Washington late last week. “[T]here’s absolutely no reason the United States of America […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 5/29/2015 Australia will dedicate $22.3 million over the next four years to expand and refurbish two existing waste storage facilities, according to the country’s 2015/2106 budget allocation issued earlier this month. The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO), the Australian government-body responsible for overseeing the country’s nuclear sites, will […]

Majority of Water Treated for Strontium Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 5/29/2015 The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced this week that almost all stored water at that Fukushima Daiichi cleanup site that was contaminated with radioactivity has been treated to remove strontium. Only three percent of water in storage still requires treatment for strontium, […]

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced yesterday that almost all stored water at the Fukushima Daiichi cleanup site that was contaminated with radioactivity has been treated to remove Strontium. Only three percent of water in storage still requires treatment for strontium, a major accomplishment for a cleanup that has been mired in water contamination […]

While tensions between the U.S. and Russia remain high, Vice President Joe Biden yesterday highlighted recent areas of cooperative success between the two nations, including the New START Treaty. “From 2009 to 2012, we achieved a great deal together, a great deal of cooperation with Russia, to advance our interests—Russia and ours—[including] a New START […]

President Barack Obama on Tuesday terminated a state of emergency geared toward curbing any potential risks posed by an accumulation of weapons-usable fissile material in Russia. Determining that it was no longer needed, Obama revoked a 2012 executive order that was issued to help protect highly enriched uranium from creditors, and to ensure that Russia […]

As developments over the past year seem to have strengthened NATO’s desire to keep U.S. tactical nukes in Europe, the “burden” for those weapons should be shared, a top nuclear policy analyst said during a speech in Washington on Friday. “[T]here’s absolutely no reason the United States of America should bear the sole burden of […]

Magnox to See Up to 1,600 Layoffs Under New Organization Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 5/22/2016 Between 1,400 and 1,600 layoffs are now expected at the U.K.’s set of Magnox sites between now and September 2016, site license company Magnox Limited announced this week. The reductions are related to both changes in the work needed at […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 5/22/2015 The United States is considering defensive and offensive capabilities if Russia does not return to compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said this week at the Center for International and Strategic Studies. These responses would indicate to Russia that “this […]

The commander of U.S. Submarine Forces has observed ballistic missile submarines as a growing Russian priority, noting that Russia is “on the cusp” of fielding a continuous at-sea strategic deterrent, “something they fell off of for many years,” he said during an event on Thursday. Russia debuted its third of 10 planned Borei-class SSBNs in […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 5/15/2015 The United States should seek to improve ts arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons to hedge against actors who might seek to offset this country’s conventional superiority, a former U.S. senior defense official said this week. “I think that we have to address qualitative inferiority that the United States has in […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 5/15/2015 The State Department this week called out a Russian diplomat’s recent announcement that his country has “virtually exhausted” bilateral nuclear reductions with the United States through the New START Treaty. “Of course we have not exhausted bilateral nuclear disarmament options,” a State Department spokesperson said in an email to NS&D […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 5/15/2015 As “slightly messy” debates continue at the ongoing Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference (RevCon), experts this week laid out options for a path forward for disarmament at the Arms Control Association’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C. This year’s RevCon, which is held every five years at the United Nations in […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 5/15/2015 As it appears that bilateral cooperation on the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987 continues to sputter, arms control experts this week offered recommendations for accomplishing the aims of the accord. Options include boosting weapons transparency and negotiating a similar multilateral agreement. “I see an opportunity now in using the […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 5/15/2015 Lawmakers raised various concerns over the proposed renewal of a 30-year civil nuclear agreement with China during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week. The deal is currently set to expire at the end of this year. Committee Republicans and Democrats expressed concerns about possible Chinese intentions […]

Sellafield Awards £50 Million Canister Contract to Metalcraft Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 5/15/2015 Sellafield Limited has awarded a contract worth up to £50 million ($78 million) to Metalcraft for providing high integrity stainless steel nuclear waste storage containers for material stored at the Pile Fuel Cladding Silo, the company announced this week. The contract covers […]

The Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday said an initial staff review of renewing a 30-year-old civil nuclear agreement with China “landed on the positive side,” but lawmakers also raised numerous concerns about the deal. Committee Republicans and Democrats expressed concerns about possible Chinese intentions including providing nuclear technology to other countries and […]

A nuclear expert and former senior U.S. defense official yesterday said the U.S. should improve its arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons to hedge against actors who might seek to offset this country’s conventional superiority. “I think that we have to address qualitative inferiority that the United States has in what we used to call tactical […]

Sellafield Limited has awarded a contract worth up to £50 million ($78 million) to Metalcraft for providing high integrity stainless steel nuclear waste storage containers stored at the Pile Fuel Cladding Silo at U.K.’s Sellafield site, the company announced yesterday. The contract covers the procurement of 2,200 three cubic meter boxes needed to store the […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 5/8/2015 The Joint Review Panel overseeing the environmental assessment of Ontario Power Generation’s planned deep geologic repository in Ontario has backed the safety and environmental case for the project, according to the environmental report submitted to Canada’s Minister of the Environment this week. The Panel recommended that with the proposed […]

The Joint Review Panel overseeing the environmental assessment of Ontario Power Generation’s planned deep geologic repository in Ontario has backed the safety and environmental case for the project, according to the environmental report submitted to Canada’s Minister of the Environment yesterday. The Panel recommended that with the proposed engineering barriers and some minor improvements to […]

The Joint Review Panel overseeing the environmental assessment of Ontario Power Generation’s planned deep geologic repository in Ontario is expected to release today its environmental report on whether the project should move forward. The Panel closed the record on the public comment period back in November, but due to the large public comment interest, it […]

WC Monitor 5/1/2015 IN THE INDUSTRY Sellafield Limited has won eight awards in this year’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Occupational Health and Safety Awards, the Sellafield site license company announced this week. The five gold and three silver awards will be presented in a June ceremony. “It makes me very proud […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 5/1/2015 Expressing concern about Russia’s recent behavior, including its alleged violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and invasion of Ukraine, two Republican Senators this week criticized Secretary of State John Kerry’s  statement this week  that a 2013 U.S. offer to Russia for bilateral nuclear weapon reductions below New START levels […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 5/1/2015 Israel has shown support for ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, the leader of the primary organization concerned with banning global nuclear tests said this week. “Recently, I was in Israel. Last year, they told me that ratification of the CTBT is not ‘if,’ but ‘when,’ Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of […]

Israel has shown support of ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, the leader of the primary organization concerned with banning global nuclear tests said yesterday. “Recently, I was in Israel. Last year, they told me that ratification of the CTBT is not ‘if,’ but ‘when,’ Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, told […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 4/24/2015 Orbital ATK is continuing to collaborate with International Space Company Kosmotras—a joint project between Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan—on ideas for the sputtering Dnepr Program, which involves converting intercontinental ballistic missiles to space launch vehicles that carry iridium satellites into orbit. Ighor Uzhinsky, a senior employee for Orbital ATK’s Flight group, […]

Secretary of State John Kerry during a diplomatic forum in New York yesterday urged Russia to return to compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and underscored that the U.S.’ offer to Russia to reduce nuclear stockpiles by one-third below New START levels remains on the table.  “I want to emphasize our deep concerns regarding […]

The House Armed Services Committee yesterday released its markup of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, authorized $25 million for exploring response options to Russia’s alleged violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The President’s FY 2016 budget did not request funds to explore possible offsets to Russia’s cited violation of the […]

Sellafield Workers Vote to Back Strike Action   Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 4/24/2015 More than 1,000 Sellafield workers may strike after workers represented by the Unite union late last week voted to back industrial action. At issue is the Sellafield Contractor Group’s “refusal to allow a full time union shop steward and a more proactive […]