Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile

The contractor building the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility in South Carolina, locked in a dispute with the federal government over the project’s future, argued the Energy Department’s failure to negotiate a contract modification “in good faith” is costing the company money. On June 1, the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals denied CB&I AREVA […]

The contractor building the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility in South Carolina, locked in a dispute with the federal government over the project, argued the Energy Department’s failure to negotiate its contract “in good faith” is costing the company money. On June 1, the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals denied CB&I AREVA MOX Services’ […]

As though channeling Luis Tiant of his beloved Boston Red Sox, former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz turned away from Washington only briefly before coming back around full-tilt at the marble-pillared city he called home for more than three years as President Barack Obama’s last DOE chief. In March, just months after Donald Trump was sworn into office and […]

Following in the footsteps of his partner in crime, the second man accused of stealing more than $4 million from the federal government while conducting work for the Savannah River Site MOX project reached a plea deal Wednesday. Aaron Vennefron, the founder of Ohio-based AV Security, initially pleaded not guilty to a host of charges […]

The White House last week formally nominated two former National Nuclear Security Administration officials to key administration positions at the Pentagon and the Energy Department. One, Robert Hood, was nominated to be assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs. Hood was most recently vice president for government affairs at CH2M, an Energy Department contractor, and […]

The White House last week formally nominated two former National Nuclear Security Administration officials to key administration positions at the Pentagon and the Energy Department. One, Robert Hood, was nominated to be assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs. Hood was most recently vice president for government affairs at CH2M, an Energy Department contractor, and previously […]

The White House has officially proposed $1 billion in additional funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration in fiscal 2018, almost all of it for the agency’s weapons activities account. The Office of Management and Budget on Tuesday released President Donald Trump’s spending request for the budget year beginning Oct. 1, which would grant the Energy […]

The $88 million top-line increase the Donald Trump administration proposed Tuesday for the Energy Department’s Office of Environmental Management in fiscal 2018 is two-and-a-half times less than the office would spend next year to start decontaminating disused nuclear-weapon facilities now owned by DOE’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The administration’s new budget plan, if […]

The leaders of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff have been nominated to stay in their positions, the Defense Department announced on May 19. The Pentagon said in a statement that Air Force Gen. Paul Selva has been nominated for reappointment as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford as chairman. […]

Savannah River Site security has been given direction to take appropriate action if a drone flying above the site presents a threat, an official at the South Carolina facility told a local advisory board on Monday. “Protocols are in place for engagement and I don’t really want to say anything else about that,” according to […]

Marc Selinger Defense Daily The Air Force’s fiscal year 2018 budget request contains billions of dollars to ramp up development work on several major new aviation and missile programs, including the B-21 bomber and the Long Range Standoff Weapon (LRSO). The B-21 Raider, which will replace aging bombers, would receive $2 billion in FY 2018, up from […]

Savannah River Site security has been given direction to take appropriate action if a drone flying above the site presents a threat, an official at the South Carolina facility told a local advisory board on Monday. “Protocols are in place for engagement and I don’t really want to say anything else about that,” according to […]

The White House has officially proposed $1 billion in additional funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration in fiscal 2018, almost all of it for the agency’s weapons activities account. The Office of Management and Budget on Tuesday released President Donald Trump’s spending request for the budget year beginning Oct. 1, which would grant the Energy […]

The Air Force’s fiscal year 2018 budget request contains billions of dollars to ramp up development work on several major new aviation and missile programs, including the B-21 bomber and the Long Range Standoff Weapon (LRSO). The B-21 Raider, which will replace aging bombers, would receive $2 billion in FY 2018, up from $1.3 billion […]

The leaders of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff have been nominated to stay in their positions, the Defense Department announced Friday. The Pentagon said in a statement that Air Force Gen. Paul Selva has been nominated for reappointment as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford as chairman. Selva has […]

The White House is angling for a sharp $1 billion increase to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons activities budget in fiscal 2018, according to a spreadsheet that appears to show line items from the president’s full budget request to be released next week. The spreadsheet, obtained and released Thursday by the centrist Third Way […]

Marc Selinger Defense Daily U.S. Air Force efforts to develop the new B-21 Raider bomber aircraft are proceeding as planned, according to the head of Air Force Global Strike Command. ”We’re where we said we were going to be,” said Gen. Robin Rand, whose command will eventually be charged with operating the aircraft. “I’m satisfied […]

The Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) last month began receiving liquid highly enriched uranium from Canada under a controversial program that will have the material traveling major U.S. highways on its way to South Carolina for the next few years. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) said in an April 21 site report […]

Top generals with the U.S. Air Force on May 12 reaffirmed their call for continued modernization and recapitalization of the country’s nuclear capabilities. “We must modernize our aging delivery platforms, nuclear weapons and supporting infrastructure so that America’s deterrent remains credible and effective in the future,” Gen. David Goldfein, the service’s chief of staff, and Gen. […]

The U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals on May 12 dismissed an appeal filed by the management and operations contractor of the Energy Department’s Savannah River Site over a dispute on the allowability of certain contract costs. In 2013, a DOE contracting officer “disallowed” $1.3 million paid to Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) under the […]

U.S. Air Force efforts to develop the new B-21 Raider bomber aircraft are proceeding as planned, according to the head of Air Force Global Strike Command. ”We’re where we said we were going to be,” said Gen. Robin Rand, whose command will eventually be charged with operating the aircraft. “I’m satisfied with where we’re at […]

The U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals on Friday dismissed an appeal filed by the management and operations contractor of the Energy Department’s Savannah River Site over a dispute on the allowability of certain contract costs. In 2013 a DOE contracting officer “disallowed” $1.3 million paid to Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) under the contract […]

The Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) last month began receiving liquid highly enriched uranium from Canada under a controversial program that will have the material traveling major U.S. highways on its way to South Carolina for the next few years. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) said in an April 21 site report […]

Top generals with the U.S. Air Force on Friday reaffirmed their call for continued modernization and recapitalization of the country’s nuclear capabilities. “We must modernize our aging delivery platforms, nuclear weapons and supporting infrastructure so that America’s deterrent remains credible and effective in the future,” Gen. David Goldfein, the service’s chief of staff, and Gen. Robin […]

The U.S. intelligence community has identified Russia as a threat to the U.S. nuclear weapons program due to its violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, intelligence leaders said Thursday on Capitol Hill. Russia was a recurring topic during a Senate intelligence committee hearing on worldwide threats and in the written statement of Daniel […]

A key project at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site that supplies tritium for nuclear weapons is up and running for the first time since 2015. The Tritium Extraction Facility (TEF) removes the material from tritium-producing burnable absorber rods (TPBARs) that have been irradiated in commercial light-water reactors by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The […]

BWX Technologies on Monday reported $428.2 million in revenue for the first quarter of 2017, up by 17 percent from $364.8 million in the same quarter last year, and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) operating income of $83.2 million, spiking 95 percent year over year from $42.6 million. Earnings per share were reported at $0.55 in […]

The fiscal 2017 omnibus spending bill approved by both chambers of Congress provides $12.9 billion for the National Nuclear Security Administration, an increase of $142 million from the fiscal 2016 level and $63 million more than former President Barack Obama’s request for the current budget year. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into […]

A key project at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site that supplies tritium for nuclear weapons is up and running for the first time since 2015. The Tritium Extraction Facility (TEF) removes the material from tritium-producing burnable absorber rods (TPBARs) that have been irradiated in commercial light-water reactors by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The […]

Raytheon CEO Thomas Kennedy told investors last week his company is reviewing its options when it comes to teaming on the Air Force’s Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, which is intended to replace the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile as the ground-based leg of the nuclear triad. “Right now, our strategy is we are engaging with multiple […]