Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s nuclear criticality safety program is improving but remains “inadequate,” according to a Department of Energy report submitted to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board late last week. Operations at the lab’s Plutonium Facility have been paused since June of last year because of criticality safety concerns—the lab had 38 nuclear criticality […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 7/11/2014 The Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, a network of activist, advocacy and watchdog organizations at sites around the nuclear weapons complex, is calling on the National Nuclear Security Administration to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and do another site-wide Environmental Impact Statement for the Y-12 National Security Complex. The […]

NS&D Monitor 7/11/2014 IN THE INDUSTRY Mark Baca, a former official at the National Nuclear Security Administration, has joined the consulting firm Longenecker & Associates as a senior associate. Prior to retiring from the NNSA in 2009, Baca served as the Associate Director of the Office of Technical Services at the NNSA Service Center, according […]

NS&D Monitor 7/11/2014 Spallation Neutron Source Achieves Designed Beam Power The Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has achieved its designed beam power of 1.4 megawatts eight years after construction was completed and operations began,. The milestone took place on June 26, shortly before shutdown for the summer maintenance period, but the plan […]

National Nuclear Security Administration chief Frank Klotz will make his first visit to the Kansas City Plant this week, helping complete the move to a new home for the agency’s main non-nuclear production efforts. Klotz will visit the plant Tuesday, which coincides with the end of Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies’ highly-scripted 18-month move from […]

SRNS Working to Establish New Capability to Downblend Plutonium for WIPP Disposal NS&D Monitor 7/3/2014 In order to continue downblending surplus plutonium for disposition, the Department of Energy is establishing a new capability in the Savannah River Site’s K-Area that is slated for completion next year.  The new plant would follow an initial round of […]

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Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 7/3/2014 Bechtel-led Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC,  formally took over management of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Y-12 and Pantex production plants this week, and while the workforce at both sites had already undergone trimming during CNS’ four-month transition period, President Jim Haynes said this week that additional reductions could come in […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 7/3/2014 The National Nuclear Security Administration will not punish new Y-12/Pantex contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security for several major changes involving key personnel, NNSA Production Office Manager Steve Erhart said this week. In an interview with NS&D Monitor, Erhart said two early departures of key personnel and a key transfer of another […]

NS&D Monitor 7/3/2014 Y-12 Oxide Conversion Facility Runs for First Time in More Than a Year For the first time in more than a year, the problem-plagued Oxide Conversion Facility has been successfully operated at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge. Y-12 spokeswoman Ellen Boatner said the restart occurred last week, but she […]

Bechtel-led Consolidated Nuclear Security formally took over management of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Y-12 and Pantex production plants yesterday, and while the workforce at both sites was trimmed during the transition period to the new contractor, CNS President Jim Haynes said there could be additional cuts to the workforce. In an interview with NS&D […]

Efforts by the National Nuclear Security Administration to revamp its security program in the wake of the July 2012 security breach at the Y-12 National Security Complex have lacked a “clear vision” or roadmap, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released yesterday. The report details a host of changes at the agency after […]

Bechtel-led Consolidated Nuclear Security has completed all of the readiness reviews associated with its transition as the new Y-12/Pantex management and operating contract and is poised to formally take over as the new contractor at the sites Tuesday. The team, which also consists of Lockheed Martin, ATK and security contractor SOC, was initially awarded the […]

Mike Nartker WC Monitor 6/27/2014   The team of CTI-URS has been eliminated from the competition underway for the new Nevada National Security Site environmental characterization and remediation services contract, WC Monitor has learned. The National Nuclear Security Administration rejected the team’s bid because it was found to be technically unacceptable, according to officials. The […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 6/27/2014 Sandia National Laboratories is transferring a chunk of its production mission to the Kansas City Plant in a move officials say could save $3 million over the next five years. Chris Gentile, the president of Kansas City Plant contractor Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, and Sandia National Laboratories Director Paul […]

New Y-12/Px Contractor Says Retirement Due to ‘Family Medical Situation’ Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 6/27/2014 Bechtel executive Jim Allen, who was bid to be the chief operating officer for Y-12/Pantex contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security, is retiring and will not assume his role as the No. 2 official for the new contractor. CNS spokesman Jason Bohne […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 6/27/2014 Incoming Y-12/Pantex contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security has confirmed that it’s considering moving part of the Uranium Processing Facility’s design work to Bechtel’s Government Services home base in Reston, Va., but a spokesman said it’s not a done deal and emphasized that it won’t involve a large-scale relocation of work now […]

ORNL’s Titan Supercomputer Retains No. 2 Spot on World TOP500 List NS&D Monitor 6/27/2014 Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Titan supercomputer, a Cray XK7 system with a hybrid architecture, is still America’s most powerful computer, and has retained its No. 2 position on the TOP500 list of the world’s fastest supercomputers. The new list released this […]

NS&D Monitor 6/27/2014 In Congress Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), the former chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee and an advocate of National Nuclear Security Administration reform efforts, announced late last week that he will seek to become chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The current chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa […]

Sandia National Laboratories is transferring a chunk of its production mission to the Kansas City Plant in a move officials say could save $3 million over the next five years. Chris Gentile, the president of Kansas City Plant contractor Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, and Sandia National Laboratories Director Paul Hommert signed an agreement yesterday […]

In Separate Hearings, Haney, NNSA Officials Also Fear Impact of Sequestration’s Return Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 4/04/2014 Even in a tight budgetary environment, the United States can “ill afford” to not modernize its nuclear deterrent, the head of United States Strategic Command told the House Armed Services Committee this week. Adm. Cecil Haney made his first […]

Held Tells Congress ‘Common Sense’ Approach to Uranium, Plutonium Capabilities Will Be Quicker, Cheaper Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 4/04/2014 After years of moving toward building massive facilities to modernize its uranium and plutonium capabilities, a scaled back approach to modernizing the weapons complex that is expected to be quicker and cheaper has been adopted by the […]

Kenneth Fletcher and Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 4/04/2014 Criticism of the Department of Energy’s plans to suspend work at the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility project mounted on Capitol Hill this week when lawmakers squared off with DOE officials at several hearings. Longtime MOX supporter Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) led the charge in the Senate, […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 4/04/2014 Consolidated Nuclear Security, the incoming contractor at the Y-12 and Pantex nuclear weapons facilities, continues to gradually introduce its leadership team and its management plans through a series of messages to employees at the sites. Last weekend, CNS—a partnership led by Bechtel and including Lockheed Martin, ATK Launch Systems and […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 4/04/2014 The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Red Team has reached a “strong consensus” on an alternative plan to the Uranium Processing Facility, according to Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason, the team leader. Mason said the Red Team made its second on-site visit to the Y-12 National Security Complex last […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 4/04/2014 Over the last six months, the United States has reduced the size of its strategic deployed nuclear stockpile by 103 warheads, while Russia has increased the size of its stockpile, according to the latest New START Treaty data released by the State Department this week. The April 1 declaration reveals […]

Positions Created as Part of Reorg. Of Safety, Security Functions Mike Nartker NS&D Monitor 4/04/2014 The Department of Energy has moved to fill a set of new Chief Security Officer positions created as part of reorganization of the Department’s health, safety and security functions, according to a message sent to employees late last week. Michael Lempke […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 4/04/2014 Operations at a Sandia National Laboratories explosives testing facility remain shut down after a worker was burned in December when an experiment malfunctioned, a lab spokesman said late last week. The Dec. 11 incident at the lab’s Site 9920 left a worker with burns to his hand when a detonator […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 4/04/2014 The National Nuclear Security Administration hasn’t adequately maintained design information for the warheads and nuclear components in its nuclear stockpile, according to a Department of Energy Inspector General report released this week that suggests the missing information raises questions about the credibility of the nation’s nuclear deterrent. “CM [Configuration management] […]

Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 4/04/2014 The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board this week closed a 2005 recommendation that called for stricter nuclear material packaging requirements, but the Board is asking for an updated schedule for the Department of Energy’s improvements. The original recommendation called for technical criteria for nuclear material packaging and prioritization of packaging […]