Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 6/5/2015 Los Alamos National Laboratory is facing a proposed fine of $247,500 and must take corrective action to address “three violations of DOE classified information security requirements” and an incident of “high safety significance” that resulted in chlorine exposure for five workers, according to two separate Preliminary Notices of Violation released […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 6/5/2015 Former Y-12 managing contractor B&W Technical Services Y-12 is facing a proposed fine of $150,000 from the Department of Energy due to six violations in two incidents that involved worker exposure to lithium hydride and the “unintentional discharge of a firearm inside a hardened patrol vehicle,” according to a Preliminary […]

NS&D Monitor 6/5/2015 ON THE INTERNATIONAL FRONT The failure of the 2015 Review Conference on the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to result in any consensus final document does not indicate “any lessening of support” for the treaty and does not affect countries’ legal obligations under the treaty, Amb. Adam Scheinman, Special Representative of the President for […]

Sandia National Laboratories committed six violations of the Department of Energy’s classified information security requirements and faces a $577,500 penalty, according to a Preliminary Notice of Violation released yesterday by the DOE’s Office of Enforcement. The security concern, discovered at SNL’s New Mexico site in July 2012, involved the unauthorized disclosure of classified information in […]

Los Alamos National Laboratory is facing a proposed fine of $247,500 and must take corrective actions to address “three violations of DOE classified information security requirements” and an incident of “high safety significance” that resulted in chlorine exposure for five workers, according to two separate Preliminary Notices of Violation released yesterday by the Department of […]

Michael Hickman, Director of the Office of Enterprise Project Management (EPM) at the National Nuclear Security Administration, retired May 29, according to an NNSA press release. Hickman served 34 years in government, spending approximately 25 years in senior leadership positions across the Energy Department and NNSA. As EPM Director, Hickman addressed deeply embedded contract and […]

Department of Energy Senior Advisor Bruce Held retired from DOE on May 30, DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz said in a message to employees Friday. Notably, in 2013 and 2014 Held served as Acting Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and acting National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator. “Bruce provided exceptional leadership over a critical 10 month period, […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 5/29/2015 In light of schedule delays, cost overruns and “other forms of mismanagement” associated with certain National Nuclear Security Administration programs, a Senate panel has cleared a bill that would require the Government Accountability Office to prepare a new report examining, among other things, NNSA program management procedures and performance of […]

NNSA Says Issue Does Not Pose Risks to Workers or Public Mike Nartker NS&D Monitor 5/29/2015 The National Nuclear Security Administration released new details this week as to what led the agency to declare a “Code Blue” at the Pantex Plant. “A new hazard scenario was identified associated with use of the containers used to […]

Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 5/29/2015 With numerous studies pointing to downblending as a significantly cheaper option for surplus plutonium disposition than the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility, Senate authorizers are asking for more answers on downblending and alternate uses for the MOX facility. A 2014 Department of Energy analysis of plutonium disposition options and a […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 5/29/2015 The Government Accountability Office is recommending that the Defense and Energy departments address new budgetary obligations and an expanded portfolio of planned weapons projects by requiring officials to attend support meetings more consistently and by revising the 18-year-old document guiding the Nuclear Weapons Council. In a report released last week, […]

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 […]

NS&D Monitor 5/29/2015 IN NNSA The National Nuclear Security Administration announced this week the successful removal of three unused radioactive sources from the Armenian capital of Yerevan. The effort was conducted by the Armenia Nuclear Regulatory Authority with aid from the NNSA’s Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation. Since 2002, ANRA and the NNSA have removed and […]

NNSA Conducts Tests to Detect Underground Foreign Nuclear Explosions NS&D Monitor 5/29/2015 The National Nuclear Security Administration last week completed the fourth experiment in a series of tests aimed at improving the ability to detect underground nuclear explosions, known as the Source Physics Experiment. The tests are part of arms control verification efforts and could […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration released new details yesterday as to what led the agency to declare a “Code Blue” at the Pantex Plant. “A new hazard scenario was identified associated with use of the containers used to package specific explosive components,” NNSA spokeswoman Shelley Laver said in a written response to Weapons Complex Morning […]

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 […]

The Nuclear Weapons Council’s actions to coordinate the stockpile responsibilities of the Defense Department and the National Nuclear Security Administration are “not fully consistent” with key practices for interagency collaboration, a Government Accountability Office report released Thursday found. While the 43-page report found that the Council’s actions are “generally consistent” with “most key practices” for NNSA-DoD […]

Tthe Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 would limit bonuses for National Nuclear Security Administration employees who engage in "improper" program management. “If the Secretary of Energy or the Administrator determines that a senior employee of the Administration committed improper program management, the Secretary and the […]

NRC Blocks Longstanding Challenge to MOX License Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 5/22/2015 Rejecting a longstanding challenge to the operating license of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility regarding security concerns, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently struck down an appeal by activist groups in a 2-1 vote. The groups, including Nuclear Watch South, Blue Ridge Environmental […]

Court Agrees to Provide Government More Time on Possible New Hearing for Y-12 Protestors NS&D Monitor 5/22/2015 The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati has approved the government’s request for an additional 30 days—until June 22—to consider whether to seek a new hearing on the court’s recent decision that overturned the conviction of […]

Sen. Feinstein Calls MOX Project ‘Apex of Problems’ Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 5/22/2015 While construction of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility is supported at a $345 million funding level in the Senate’s version of the Fiscal Year 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations legislation that was reported out of committee this week, Sen. Dianne Feinstein […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 5/22/2015 The National Nuclear Security Administration would receive a total of $8.9 billion for weapons activities under the Senate version of the Fiscal Year 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, reported out of committee this week. The bill would provide a $35.4 million increase from the NNSA’s budget request and $670 […]

Mike Nartker NS&D Monitor 5/22/2015 In an apparent sign of problems at the Pantex Plant, the National Nuclear Security Administration has declared a “code blue” at the site. The move came after an “issue or condition” was discovered that could have “significant impact” on B61 and W80 weapons operations, NNSA spokeswoman Shelley Laver said in […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 5/22/2015 The National Nuclear Security Administration this month submitted to Congress its response to a set of recommendations laid out by the Congressional Advisory Panel on the Governance of the Nuclear Security Enterprise. While NNSA agreed with much of the language and reforms outlined in the panel’s report, “A New Foundation […]

Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 5/22/2015 The National Nuclear Security Administration has begun gearing up to compete the management-and-operations contract for the Nevada National Security Site. This week, the agency announced in a presolicitation notice that it expects to issue a Request for Proposals for the new contract, which will be competed on a full-and-open basis, […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 5/22/2015 John Eschenberg, who has served as the federal project director for the Oak Ridge Uranium Processing Facility for the past three years, informed friends and colleagues this week that he is leaving his leadership post at the end of the month and will “focus on new career opportunities in the […]

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 […]

IN THE DNFSB The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is scheduled to hold a public meeting at its Washington headquarters on June 3. Topics to be discussed during the meeting include an overview of planned responses to matters raised in recent Organizational Assessments, existing Board performance metrics, existing Board policies and technical organizational structure. The […]

John Eschenberg, the federal project director at the Uranium Processing Facility for the past three years, informed friends and colleagues this week that he is leaving his leadership post at the end of the month and will “focus on new career opportunities in the private sector.” Eschenberg is retiring from federal service after working in […]

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is scheduled to hold a public meeting at its Washington headquarters on June 3. Topics to be discussed during the meeting include an overview of planned responses to matters raised in recent Organizational Assessments, existing Board performance metrics, existing Board policies and technical organizational structure. The meeting is set […]