Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile

Here are some events related to defense and civilian nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking this week. September 25-29: International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference. Vienna International Centre, Vienna, Austria. Conference agenda and streaming information online. 26: Meeting: The Savannah River Site Citizens Advisory Board meets at 9 a.m. Eastern Time at the Aiken Senior […]

Here are some events related to defense and civilian nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking this week. 19: National Academies. Public meeting. Independent Study on Potential Environmental Effects of Nuclear War. This fourth meeting about the study focuses on climate modeling done by Department of Energy national laboratories. 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Eastern […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration fixed some inconsistencies with the process it uses to keep track of changes to the way the agency surveys the nuclear-weapon stockpile, the Department of Energy’s inspector general wrote in a report published recently and dated Aug. 31. The Inspector General studied the agency’s Universal Change Control process for about […]

The Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy and Grid Deployment offices got new chiefs of staff, the agency announced this week. Emily Doran, a former campaign staffer for President Joe Biden (D), will be the staff chief at the Grid Deployment Office while Rory Stanley, most recently a staffer on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources […]

Current and former nuclear weapons workers in the Greater Denver area are invited by the Department of Labor to show up at a Sept. 12 information session on federal occupational illness benefits. Labor Department representatives will be on hand at the Arvada, Colo., session to help attendees with filing new claims or assisting with existing […]

Current and former nuclear weapons workers in the Greater Denver area are invited by the Department of Labor to show up at a Sept. 12 information session on federal occupational illness benefits. Labor Department representatives will be on hand at the Arvada, Colo., session to help attendees with filing new claims or assisting with existing […]

Current and former nuclear weapons workers in the Greater Denver area are invited by the Department of Labor to show up at a Sept. 12 information session on federal occupational illness benefits. Labor Department representatives will be on hand at the Arvada, Colo., session to help attendees with filing new claims or assisting with existing […]

The three members of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board recently visited the Savannah River National Security Site to examine personnel safety controls for a planned facility expected to churn out at least 50 nuclear warhead cores annually next decade. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) “has been reviewing the design of the Savannah […]

Major National Nuclear Security Administration projects to modernize nuclear-weapons production infrastructure shot $2 billion past estimated budgets and are collectively overdue by nearly a decade, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office.  The overruns have several causes, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in the first of what will become biennial reports […]

Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor will be not be published on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023 and Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, as part of the Exchange Monitor’s annual August recess.

Consolidated Nuclear Security set up a reliable fire suppression system and procedures at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., according to a recent assessment by the Department of Energy’s Office of Enterprise Assessments. The Bechtel National-led site prime contractor “has established a comprehensive sitewide [fire protection program] and policy to ensure the […]

A federal judge will rule on a request from Consolidated Nuclear Security to throw out a suit brought by employees who allege, in a suit that has ground on for three years amid the plaintiffs’ failure to retain a lawyer, that the contractor improperly withheld wages from workers in Tennessee. Judge Katherine Crytzer did not […]

The Department of Labor will host an informational session next week in Ohio for current and former nuclear weapons workers who may qualify for federal financial compensation for on-the-job illnesses, the agency said Tuesday. Labor will host the seven-hour session about the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act on Aug. 16 at a hotel […]

The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2 automatically shut down for a little less than a day-and-a-half last week because of low steam levels, the authority confirmed this week. The quasi governmental company confirmed the outage to the Exchange Monitor after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday reported that Unit 2, which […]

Consolidated Nuclear Security set up a reliable fire suppression system and procedures at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., according to a recent assessment by the Department of Energy’s Office of Enterprise Assessments. The Bechtel National-led site prime contractor “has established a comprehensive sitewide [fire protection program] and policy to ensure the […]

The Department of Labor will host an informational session next week in Ohio for current and former nuclear weapons workers who may qualify for federal financial compensation for on-the-job illnesses, the agency said Tuesday. Labor will host the seven-hour session about the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act on Aug. 16 at a hotel […]

A federal judge will rule on a request from Consolidated Nuclear Security to throw out a suit brought by employees who allege, in a suit that has ground on for three years amid the plaintiffs’ failure to retain a lawyer, that the contractor improperly withheld wages from workers in Tennessee. Judge Katherine Crytzer did not […]

The Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, has a new Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board resident inspector as of Monday. Austin Holloway, a former explosives engineer at the Naval Air Warfare (NAVAIR) Center Weapons Division in China Lake, Calif., took over the position with the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) on July 31.  As a […]

The Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, has a new Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board resident inspector as of Monday. Austin Holloway, a former explosives engineer at the Naval Air Warfare (NAVAIR) Center Weapons Division in China Lake, Calif., took over the position with the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) on July 31.  As a […]

Lawrence Livermore National Security, the contractor that operates Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is now accepting applications for its 2023 Community Gift Program. Established in 2008, the Community Gift Program provides annual awards to support nonprofit organizations addressing science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics education, community service and philanthropic needs in local and surrounding communities. The […]

President Joe Biden’s (D) administration wants the U.S. Supreme Court to declare lower court injunctions blocking COVID-19 vaccinations for most federal employees moot because the executive order at the root of the case has ended. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar filed the petition for a writ of certiorari July 21 asking the high court, an independent […]

President Joe Biden’s (D) administration wants the U.S. Supreme Court to declare lower court injunctions blocking COVID-19 vaccinations for most federal employees moot because the executive order at the root of the case has ended. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar filed the petition for a writ of certiorari July 21 asking the high court, an independent […]

Over the next decade, the U.S. will spend an estimated $756 billion on modernizing and maintaining its current and future nuclear forces, or about $75 billion per year, a new report from the Congressional Budget Office found.  Looking at the 10 years from 2023 to 2032, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), found that U.S. spending […]

An amendment to the Senate’s fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act bill could make it easier for nuclear-site employees to receive compensation for beryllium-related illnesses associated with their work. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) successfully won approval for her amendment to the Senate version of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bill Thursday.  The amendment […]

An amendment to the Senate’s fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act bill could make it easier for nuclear-site employees to receive compensation for beryllium-related illnesses associated with their work. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) successfully won approval for her amendment to the Senate version of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bill Thursday.  The amendment […]

Over the next decade, the U.S. will spend an estimated $756 billion on modernizing and maintaining its current and future nuclear forces, or about $75 billion per year, a new report from the Congressional Budget Office found.  Looking at the 10 years from 2023 to 2032, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), found that U.S. spending […]

Whoever next manages the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, could hold the job for 20 years under a contract worth up to $30 billion now that a final pair of five-year options periods have been approved by senior officials.  A final request for proposals (RFP) for a new management contract at […]

Here are some events related to defense and civilian nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking this week. 17: Advanced Nuclear Weapons Alliance Deterrence Center Virtual Forum. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and chair of tactical air-land forces and seapower subcommittees, discusses nuclear deterrence modernization. Streamed live […]

President Joe Biden’s nomination of Patricia Lee of South Carolina to serve on the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has been submitted to the Senate, the White House said late Wednesday. Lee, who has worked in radiation protection for decades and is currently portfolio manager for the digital enterprise at the Department of Energy’s Savannah […]

Los Alamos County, N.M., home to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Los Alamos National Laboratory is under stage 1 fire restrictions by order of the county’s fire marshal. The restrictions, brought on by seasonal high temperatures and dry conditions, went into effect July 7, the Los Alamos County Fire Department (LAFD) said in a statement. […]