Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile

South Carolina and the federal government are in talks on a potential settlement for a lawsuit in which the state alleged the government breached an agreement by not processing plutonium through the Savannah River Site’s Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson in February 2016 sued the Energy Department, then-Energy Secretary […]

CB&I AREVA MOX Services, the contractor managing construction of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility near Aiken, S.C., said in a new letter to the National Nuclear Security Administration that the agency regularly obstructs MOX construction in an effort to terminate the project. NS&D Monitor obtained the March 8 letter, a response to the NNSA’s […]

A federal judge dismissed Tuesday part of South Carolina’s lawsuit in which it alleged the federal government had breached an agreement with the state by not processing plutonium through the Savannah River Site’s Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility. Specifically, U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs dismissed the state’s assertion that the government’s failure to meet the […]

South Carolina and the federal government are conducting discussions toward settling a lawsuit in which the state has alleged that the government breached an agreement by not processing plutonium through the Savannah River Site’s Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson in February 2016 sued the Energy Department, then-Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, […]

Marc Selinger Defense Daily The U.S. Navy loaded the first two life-extended Trident II D-5 ballistic missiles on an Ohio-class submarine last month, a service official said March 8. The event was a “significant milestone” for the nuclear-armed missile, said Adm. Bill Moran, vice chief of naval operations, who testified before the House Armed Services […]

There is no more room to delay construction and deployment of the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine if the United States is to maintain a continually viable sea-based nuclear deterrent, the former head of the program said last week. The U.S. Navy’s current fleet of 14 Ohio-class submarines will begin to retire about a decade from […]

The vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed Wednesday that Russia has deployed a land-based cruise missile in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and that the Pentagon’s upcoming Nuclear Posture Review will cover options for a U.S. response. Air Force Gen. Paul Selva said at a House Armed Services […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission lauded CB&I AREVA MOX Services, which is building the embattled Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility in South Carolina, for its construction program and oversight in an assessment of the contractor’s construction activities and safety performance during 2016. The regulatory body said in a March 2 letter to CB&I AREVA MOX Services that the […]

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on Wednesday introduced legislation that would limit funding for the Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) nuclear cruise missile, a controversial weapon intended to replace the aging air-launched cruise missile. Democrats in Congress say the missile, expected to cost roughly $20 billion to $30 billion over 20 years for approximately 1,000 missiles, would increase […]

The House of Representatives approved Wednesday a $577.9 defense appropriations billion for fiscal 2017 by a vote of 233-185, with three Republicans against the legislation and five Democrats in favor. The House Appropriations Committee last week introduced the bill, which funds the Defense Department at a level $5.2 billion higher than the fiscal 2016 enacted […]

The vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed Wednesday that Russia has deployed a land-based cruise missile in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and that the Pentagon’s upcoming Nuclear Posture Review will cover options for a U.S. response. Air Force Gen. Paul Selva said at a House Armed Services […]

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a $577.9 billion bill for funding the Defense Department in fiscal 2017, which began last October. The Pentagon and all other federal agencies have operated under two separate continuing resolutions in this budget year. The latest resolution expires in late April. The bill passed the house by a […]

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on Wednesday introduced legislation that would limit funding for the Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) nuclear cruise missile, a controversial weapon intended to replace the aging air-launched cruise missile. Democrats in Congress say the missile, expected to cost roughly $20 billion to $30 billion over 20 years, would increase the risk of nuclear […]

The U.S. Navy loaded the first two life-extended Trident II D-5 ballistic missiles on an Ohio-class submarine last month, a service official said March 8. The event was a “significant milestone” for the nuclear-armed missile, said Adm. Bill Moran, vice chief of naval operations, who testified before the House Armed Services Committee during a hearing on […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission lauded CB&I AREVA MOX Services, which is building the embattled Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility in South Carolina, for its construction program and oversight in an assessment of the contractor’s construction activities and safety performance during 2016. The regulatory body said in a March 2 letter to CB&I AREVA MOX Services that the […]

The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday introduced its fiscal 2017 defense appropriations bill, which funds the Defense Department’s national security needs at $577.9 billion – $5.2 billion higher than the fiscal 2016 enacted level and $1.6 billion more than former President Barack Obama’s request. The bill, scheduled for consideration this week on the House floor, proposes […]

The contractor building the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility received less than 9 percent of its possible award fee in its latest performance evaluation, along with a stinging rebuke from the Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The NNSA on Feb. 21 released to Savannah River Site Watch its fiscal 2016 performance evaluation report and […]

The absence of senior leadership at the Trump administration’s Cabinet agencies threatens to leave contractors without clear policy direction on matters including the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons and cleanup complexes, executives said Tuesday. There is no imminent end in sight to this dilemma, they acknowledged. Panelists at the ExchangeMonitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit spoke two […]

Marc Selinger Defense Daily The U.S. Navy and General Dynamics Electric Boat may soon wrap up negotiations on the detail design contract for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, an industry official said March 1. “We expect to continue [the negotiations] for the next month or so and get to the point where we reach an agreement,” said […]

One of two men accused of stealing more than $4 million from the federal government while working for the Savannah River Site’s MOX program could face up to five years in prison after entering into a plea agreement on Friday. Meanwhile, the other suspect has waived his right to a speedy trial and wants the […]

Linton Brooks, a career naval officer and former head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, on Wednesday received the Johnny Foster Lifetime Achievement Award at the ExchangeMonitor’s 2017 Nuclear Deterrence Summit. The award, named in honor of the longtime Energy and Defense departments hand who directed the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the 1960s, recognizes […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration on Tuesday approved Critical Decision (CD)-4 for the High Explosives Pressing Facility (HEPF) at the Pantex Plant, NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz said Wednesday at the ExchangeMonitor’s annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit in Washington, D.C. CD-4 indicates readiness to operate the facility, following the construction phase. The agency in 2011 began building the […]

The absence of senior leadership at the Trump administration’s Cabinet agencies threatens to leave contractors without clear policy direction on matters including the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons and cleanup complexes, executives said Tuesday. There is no imminent end in sight to this dilemma, they acknowledged. Panelists at the ExchangeMonitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit spoke two […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration on Tuesday approved Critical Decision (CD)-4 for the High Explosives Pressing Facility (HEPF) at the Pantex Plant, NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz said Wednesday at the ExchangeMonitor’s annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit in Washington, D.C. CD-4 indicates readiness to operate the facility, following the construction phase. The agency in 2011 began construction of […]

Several nongovernmental organizations on Wednesday enouraged Congress to discontinue funding for the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility being built at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site near Aiken, S.C. The Project on Government Oversight, Savannah River Site Watch, Taxpayers for Common Sense, and National Taxpayers Union signed the letter sent to lawmakers, highlighting a newly […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s stinging evaluation of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility’s contractor has been publicly released, revealing an overall award fee percentage in the single digits. The NNSA on Feb. 21 released to Savannah River Site Watch its fiscal 2016 performance evaluation report and award fee scorecard for CB&I AREVA MOX Services […]

One of two men accused of stealing more than $4 million from the federal government while working for the Savannah River Site’s MOX program could face up to five years in prison after entering into a plea agreement on Friday. Meanwhile, the other suspect has waived his right to a speedy trial and wants the […]

It has been 15 years since the last injury in operations of the Elza Switchyard at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee, site management and operations contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) said Tuesday. The switchyard is a 161,000-volt electrical system that provides 100 percent of the electricity for the National Nuclear Security Administration nuclear […]

South Carolina’s new governor thinks the state Attorney General’s Office should refile its $100 million plutonium disposition claim against the Department of Energy. Meanwhile, a spokesperson said Attorney General Alan Wilson is still contemplating his next move after a federal judge last week dismissed the state’s monetary claim over DOE’s failure to meet its plutonium […]

The contractor managing construction of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina this week issued a request for proposals for a fixed-price subcontract to install HVAC ductwork for the project. CB&I AREVA MOX Services said the subcontract will involve the installation of ductwork, supports, and […]