Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 10/10/14 Teresa Robbins has been selected to be deputy manager of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Production Office, overseeing operations at the Y-12 and Pantex nuclear weapons plants. Her selection was announced in an internal message to federal employees this week, but there are reportedly additional steps in the approval process […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 10/10/2014 Three months into its management-and-operating role at the Y-12 and Pantex nuclear weapons facilities, Consolidated Nuclear Security’s leadership team continues to undergo changes. Janet Hunt, the human resources manager and architect of the contractor’s strategy on a range of personnel issues, is leaving the CNS team to return to her […]

Army Corps Issues RFI for UPF Site Preparation NS&D Monitor 10/10/2014 The scaled-back Uranium Processing Facility appears to be finally moving forward. The Army Corps of Engineers has released a Request for Information seeking small businesses to perform site preparation work for the project, which has been delayed as the National Nuclear Security Administration examines […]

Nelson-Jean Appointed Manager of Livermore Field Office NS&D Monitor 10/10/2014 Nicole Nelson-Jean has been appointed as the manager of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Livermore Field Office, the agency said this week. Nelson-Jean has served as the acting head of the field office since January, when Kim Davis-Lebak left to serve as the manager of […]

NS&D Monitor 10/10/2014 IN THE NNSA The National Nuclear Security Administration has begun searching for a new Associate Administrator for Management and Budget to replace Cindy Lersten, according to an announcement posted on USAjobs.gov this week. Lersten headed up the agency’s Office of Management and Budget since 2012, but NNSA budget director Robert Nassif is […]

The scaled-back Uranium Processing Facility appears to be finally moving forward. The Army Corps of Engineers has released a Request for Information seeking small businesses to perform site preparation work for the project, which has been delayed as the National Nuclear Security Administration examines a new path forward for the project in the wake of […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration has begun searching for a new Associate Administrator for Management and Budget to replace Cindy Lersten according to an announcement posted on USAjobs.gov yesterday. Lersten headed up the agency’s Office of Management and Budget since 2012, but NNSA budget director Robert Nassif is currently heading up the office in an […]

Three months into its management and operating role at the Y-12 and Pantex nuclear weapons facilities, Consolidated Nuclear Security’s leadership team continues to undergo changes. Janet Hunt, the human resources manager and architect of the contractor’s strategy on a range of personnel issues, is leaving CNS team to return to her parent company, Lockheed Martin, […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 10/3/2014 Officials within the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Secure Transportation did not report or properly assess a “deliberate example of unauthorized access to nuclear weapons,” the Department of Energy’s Inspector General said this week. DOE’s IG released only a summary of its Sept. 24 inspection report Sept. 29, raising […]

Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 10/3/2014 Despite a plan earlier this year to potentially put the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility into “cold standby” at the beginning of Fiscal Year 2015, construction will continue for the time being at the current rate, the National Nuclear Security Administration has confirmed. Citing rising costs for the project, the […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 10/3/2014 The National Nuclear Security Administration is planning to fine Nevada National Security Site contractor National Security Technologies $110,000 for four violations stemming from the unauthorized disclosure of classified information in 2010. The NNSA issued a Preliminary Notice of Violation to NSTec Sept. 26, describing the security breach publicly for the […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 10/3/2014 The size of U.S. and Russian stockpiles of deployed nuclear weapons grew significantly over the last six months, according to the latest New START Treaty data released by the State Department this week. The Oct. 1 declaration reveals that the U.S. had 1,642 deployed warheads under the treaty’s counting rules […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 10/3/2014 The National Nuclear Security Administration needs to be integrated with the rest of the Department of Energy not only because of its important national security work with the nuclear weapons stockpile but also because of its nonproliferation and emergency response work, outgoing Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Poneman said during remarks […]

NS&D Monitor 10/3/2014 UPF Procurement Chief Staying at Y-12 After All After conflicting reports over the past month, it looks like Rich Brown will be staying in Oak Ridge after all and oversee the procurement activities for the Uranium Processing Facility and/or its follow-on projects. Just a few days after UPF Project Director Brian Reilly sent […]

The size of U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles grew significantly over the last six months, according to the latest New START Treaty data released by the State Department this week. The Oct. 1 declaration reveals that the U.S. had 1,642 deployed warheads under the treaty’s counting rules as of Sept. 1, an increase of 57 […]

After conflicting reports over the past month, it looks like Rich Brown will be staying in Oak Ridge after all and oversee the procurement activities for the Uranium Processing Facility and/or its follow-on projects. Just a few days after UPF Project Director Brian Reilly sent out a message announcing that Brown was leaving UPF to take […]

Officials within the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Secure Transportation did not report or properly assess a “deliberate example of unauthorized access to nuclear weapons,” the Department of Energy’s Inspector General said yesterday. DOE’s IG released only a summary of its Sept. 24 inspection report yesterday, raising questions about OST’s human reliability program, though […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration needs to be integrated with the rest of the Department of Energy not only because of its important national security work with the nuclear weapons stockpile but also because of its nonproliferation and emergency response work, outgoing Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Poneman said during a speech and question-and-answer session at […]

With the new fiscal year set to begin on Wednesday, construction will continue for the time being at the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility rather than a move to “cold standby,” the National Nuclear Security Administration said Friday. “Under the current continuing resolution, the contractor will continue construction of the MOX facility,” NNSA spokesman Derrick […]

Three senior members of the House Armed Services Committee will begin a visit to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s two nuclear weapons laboratories in New Mexico today. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the chairman of the panel’s Strategic Forces Subcommittee, is heading the visit, and will be accompanied by Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), the ranking member […]

Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 9/26/2014 Numerous operations and security issues at Savannah River’s tritium facilities have led the Department of Energy and the site’s managing contractor, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, to step up oversight of operations at the plant. In July, the facilities experienced 10 events involving conduct of operations, quality control or security deficiencies, […]

Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 9/26/2014 Though the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility was slated to go into “cold standby” at the beginning of Fiscal Year 2015 next week, the immediate path forward for the project remains unclear and the National Nuclear Security Administration has not provided word on the future of the project. Contractor CB&I […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/26/2014 Air Force Brig. Gen. Stephen Davis is taking over as the top military official in the National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons program, replacing Brig. Gen. James Dawkins as the agency’s Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Military Application, the NNSA said late last week. Davis most recently served as the Assistant […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/26/2014 Marine Corps veteran Jeffrey Johnson has been named as the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Chief of Defense Nuclear Security (CDNS) and Associate Administrator for Defense Nuclear Security, the agency said this week. Johnson previously served as the head of U.S. Marine Corps Civilian Law Enforcement and, according to the NNSA, […]

Deinventory of Y-12 Area 5 Underway NS&D Monitor 9/26/2014 The National Nuclear Security Administration has acknowledged that activities underway to reduce the inventory of highly enriched uranium inside production facilities at the Y-12 National Security Complex are part of the response to the Red Team report released earlier this year. “The de-inventory of Area 5 […]

NS&D Monitor 9/26/2014 IN THE NNSA The National Nuclear Security Administration recently completed an important test of the new joint Air Force and Navy radar in the W88 ALT 370, the agency said this week. The W88 ALT 370 will replace the arming, fuzing and firing assembly on the W88-0/Mk 5 warhead, and the Critical […]

Potential Detonation Threat Comes From Pu Containers From SRS WC Monitor 9/26/2014 The Department of Energy this week confirmed that a detonation threat under review at an Oak Ridge waste storage site involves containers of plutonium that were brought to Oak Ridge from Savannah River more than 30 years ago. Mike Koentop, executive officer at […]

Calling plans to modernize the nation’s weapons complex and nuclear arsenal “unwise and beyond what the nation can afford,” the New York Times editorial board yesterday accused the Obama Administration of “backsliding” on its nuclear promises and suggested money earmarked for modernization would be better spent on nuclear security. “The administration is making a foolish […]

The Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Agency on Sept. 22 awarded contract modifications to McCrone Associates Inc., and Schafer Corp., for $10 million and $9 million, respectively, to evaluate particle samples for verification and compliance involving the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty. The contracts will support the U.S. Atomic Energy Detection System, which comprises […]

Using the National Nuclear Security Administration’s new Kansas City Plant as a backdrop, the New York Times yesterday chronicled efforts—and future plans—to modernize the nation’s weapons complex and nuclear arsenal, raising questions about the price tag for the modernization plans. The Times noted that the modernization efforts come under President Obama, who was awarded the […]