Archive

Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile

News on NNSA’s modernization of the U.S. nuclear deterrent, including life extension programs, plutonium pit production, warhead development, and the weapons complex facilities that support them.

  • NNSA updates progress on Los Alamos tritium venting

    Tritium venting is complete on two of four flanged waste containers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said Sunday Sept. 21. After some glitches, work was paused Sunday prior to resuming depressurization of the third flanged tritium waste container (FTWC), NNSA said in […]

  • NNSA needs plan to continue ops in event of UPF delay, GAO says

    The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) does not have a plan to safely continue operating in an aged uranium processing facility until the new one is ready, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said. The Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) is the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) next-generation factory for nuclear-weapons secondary stages at the Oak Ridge […]

  • House passes stopgap with nuclear weapons exceptions, Senate stalling

    WASHINGTON – House Republicans Friday morning passed a short term stopgap spending bill to run through Nov. 21 that would keep funding at fiscal 2025 levels aside from exceptions including the National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons activities. The final vote was 217-212, with two Republicans voting against the bill and one Democrat voting for the […]

  • House passes stopgap with nuclear weapons exceptions

    WASHINGTON – House Republicans Friday morning passed a short term stopgap spending bill to run through Nov. 21 that would keep funding at fiscal 2025 levels aside from exceptions including the National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons activities. The final vote was 217-212, with two Republicans voting against the bill and one Democrat voting for the […]

  • House passes stopgap with nuclear weapons exceptions

    WASHINGTON – House Republicans Friday morning passed a short term stopgap spending bill to run through Nov. 21 that would keep funding at fiscal 2025 levels aside from exceptions including the National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons activities. The final vote was 217-212, with two Republicans voting against the bill and one Democrat voting for the […]

  • Wrap up: U.S./U.K. joint summit MoU; NNSA removes cesium irradiators; SecLabor visits HII; more

    The United States and the United Kingdom concluded a joint summit Thursday by putting out a memorandum of understanding on “technology prosperity,” including cooperation on issues from nuclear energy to artificial intelligence. While the deal between the Trans-Atlantic allies seeks to deepen collaboration on all-things-nuclear, it also sets out a goal of shedding dependence on […]

  • New Mexico monitors Los Alamos tritium venting

    The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) will actively monitor Los Alamos National Laboratory’s controlled capture of tritium that was scheduled to start Saturday, Sept. 13. NMED has “strict safeguards and oversight in place to ensure public safety,” the state agency said Sept. 12. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is venting and capturing tritium from […]

  • New Mexico clears way for temporary Los Alamos tritium venting

    For the next two weeks the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory will depressurize four Flanged Tritium Waste Containers, the lab announced. The work, which has angered tribal groups and the state of New Mexico, will start this Saturday Sept. 13, laboratory officials said in a press […]

  • Nuclear documentary to premiere on Sept. 15 at Kennedy Center

    The first screening of “The Nuclear Frontier” documentary is set to premiere on Sept. 15 at the Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. ​​A reception will follow at 6 p.m. Eastern Time, which includes a keynote address, panel discussion and premiere screening. The link to RSVP for […]

  • DNFSB makes agency fixes, but needs members, GAO finds

    The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has tackled all but a few third-party recommendations to improve its culture over the past decade but suffers from a depleted board, according to a new report.  Progress is tough with the five-person board probably slipping to one member, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in its report […]

  • Inspector General says NNSA fixed some weaknesses in unclassified cyber program

    The Department of Energy, including its semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration, has taken action to address weaknesses in its unclassified cybersecurity program, according to an August report by the Office of Inspector General. The report, which evaluated the program at 29 DOE locations from January 2024 through May 2025, said that programs and sites, after […]

  • DNFSB makes agency fixes, but needs members, GAO finds

    The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has tackled all but a few third-party recommendations to improve its culture over the past decade but suffers from a depleted board, according to a new report.  Progress is tough with the five-person board probably slipping to one member, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in its report […]

  • Inspector General says NNSA fixed some weaknesses in unclassified cyber program

    The Department of Energy, including its semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration, has taken action to address weaknesses in its unclassified cybersecurity program, according to an August report by the Office of Inspector General. The report, which evaluated the program at 29 DOE locations from January 2024 through May 2025, said that programs and sites, after […]

  • Senate NDAA provision could protect NNSA staff from DOGE axe

    A provision in the Senate’s version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) could protect employees in charge of maintaining the nation’s nuclear weapons from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the NDAA included a section that, if included in the eventual conference version with the House […]

  • NNSA teams up with AI company on tool to flag potential nuclear weapons misuse

    The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is teaming up with Anthropic to build a tool that can determine whether artificial intelligence is providing knowledge on nuclear weapons that can be used for nefarious purposes. Anthropic, a 2021 San Francisco-based AI safety and research company that built AI assistant models like Claude, announced last week that […]

  • Office of Inspector General finds no proof that NNSA published sensitive data

    The Office of Inspector General did not find that the National Nuclear Security Administration failed to follow export control regulations, despite complaints to that effect, according to a recent report. The report, published Aug. 7, said the Office of Inspector General (OIG) received a complaint through a hotline alleging the DOE’s semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security […]

  • White House could tap plutonium reserves for nuclear fuel

    The Reuters news service reported last week that President Donald Trump’s administration plans to tap plutonium left over from dismantled nuclear weapons to help power commercial nuclear reactors in the United States. The news service reported Trump could have the Department of Energy make 20 metric tons available for U.S. nuclear power plants. The article […]

  • White House could tap plutonium reserves for nuclear fuel

    The Reuters news service reported last week that President Donald Trump’s administration plans to tap plutonium left over from dismantled nuclear weapons to help power commercial nuclear reactors in the United States. The news service reported Trump could have the Department of Energy make 20 metric tons available for U.S. nuclear power plants. The article […]

  • Office of Inspector General finds no proof that NNSA published sensitive data

    The Office of Inspector General did not find that the National Nuclear Security Administration failed to follow export control regulations, despite complaints to that effect, according to a recent report. The report, published Aug. 7, said the Office of Inspector General (OIG) received a complaint through a hotline alleging the DOE’s semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security […]

  • White House could tap plutonium reserves for nuclear fuel

    The Reuters news service reported Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration plans to tap plutonium left over from dismantled nuclear weapons to help power commercial nuclear reactors in the United States. The news service reported Trump could have the Department of Energy make 20 metric tons available for U.S. nuclear power plants. The article said […]

  • NNSA teams up with AI company on tool to flag potential nuclear weapons misuse

    The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is teaming up with Anthropic to build a tool that can determine whether artificial intelligence is providing knowledge on nuclear weapons that can be used for nefarious purposes. Anthropic, a 2021 San Francisco-based AI safety and research company that built AI assistant models like Claude, announced last week that […]

  • Senate NDAA provision could protect NNSA staff from DOGE axe

    A provision in the Senate’s version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) could protect employees in charge of maintaining the nation’s nuclear weapons from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the NDAA included a section that, if included in the eventual conference version with the House […]

  • DOE deputy secretary ‘concerned,’ orders plutonium special study in letter to NNSA

    In a letter to Teresa Robbins, acting administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, Deputy Secretary of Energy James Danly said he is ordering a special study to evaluate key leadership and processes on pit production. “I have become increasingly concerned about the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA’s) ability to consistently deliver on nuclear weapons […]

  • NNSA deploys security simulation tech at Lawrence Livermore

    The Department of Energy’s semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) will deploy Cornelis Networks technology to power Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s high-performance computing cluster “Lynx.” The “Lynx” cluster is a supercomputer with 952 computer nodes that is part of NNSA’s Advanced Simulation and Computing initiatives, which assesses the validity of the U.S. nuclear stockpile through […]

  • DNFSB wants to know how smaller DOE will protect safety

    A federal safety panel wants to know how the Department of Energy will ensure nuclear safety given reduced staffing and restructuring. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) on July 25 formally requested DOE brief it within 30 days on continuing to ensure safety at the department’s nuclear cleanup and weapons stockpile branches. “Per statute, […]

  • DNFSB wants to know how smaller DOE will protect safety

    A federal safety panel wants to know how the Department of Energy will ensure nuclear safety given reduced staffing and restructuring. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) on July 25 formally requested DOE brief it within 30 days on continuing to ensure safety at the department’s nuclear cleanup and weapons stockpile branches. “Per statute, […]

  • DNFSB wants to know how smaller DOE will ensure safety

    A federal safety panel wants to know how the Department of Energy will ensure nuclear safety given reduced staffing and restructuring. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) on July 25 formally requested DOE brief it within 30 days on continuing to ensure safety at the department’s nuclear cleanup and weapons stockpile branches. “Per statute, […]

  • NNSA says old buildings taken down at Kirtland

    The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) says demolition and disposal has been completed at the old Albuquerque Complex on the grounds of the Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. The $8.4 million demolition, started in March 2024, was overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Alabama District through an interagency […]

  • Pantex readiness assessment turns up issues, DNFSB says

    The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) said Pantex management and operating contractor PanTeXas Deterrence concluded reviewing nuclear explosive operations in one of its weapons programs, according to a July 4 report. The prime contractor at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, is a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) site, has a number of issues […]

  • NNSA says old buildings taken down at Kirtland

    The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) says demolition and disposal has been completed at the old Albuquerque Complex on the grounds of the Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. The $8.4 million demolition, started in March 2024, was overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Alabama District through an interagency […]