Nuclear Security & Deterrence Vol. 18 No. 29 At Livermore
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Babcock & Wilcox Weighs in on ConverDyn Uranium Transfer Lawsuit
Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 7/18/2014 Babcock & Wilcox has entered the fray in ConverDyn’s lawsuit against the Department of Energy’s uranium transfers, arguing that stopping transfers scheduled to occur this month would cause significant harm to its downblending business as well as U.S. national security and nonproliferation goals. B&W subsidiary Nuclear Fuel Services is the […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
At Oak Ridge
Temporary Fencing at Y-12 Entrance Still Drawing Questions NS&D Monitor 7/18/2014 Fifteen months after a “temporary” security fence was erected to block an area near the entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex, the temporary structure is still in place and apparently will remain so for the foreseeable future. The fence was constructed along the […]
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National Laboratories
Bechtel Introduces Cyber Training Program in Conjunction with Los Alamos, Livermore
Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 7/18/2014 Bechtel said this week that it is establishing a program aimed at developing cyber security experts in conjunction with the two nuclear weapons laboratories it runs. Early-career professionals will rotate through Bechtel headquarters and Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories during the three-year program, which is designed to provide […]
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Budget & Policy
GAO Suggests Kansas City Governance Model Not Likely Broadly Applicable Across Complex
Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 7/18/2014 Reforms that have helped cut costs and streamline operations at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Kansas City Plant may not be widely applicable elsewhere across the weapons complex, according to a Government Accountability Office report released this week that summarizes previous studies of the Kansas City Plant model. The model, […]
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Budget & Policy
With Deadline Passed, Congress Still Waiting on Final Report From NNSA Governance Panel
Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 7/18/2014 Figuring out what is wrong with the National Nuclear Security Administration may have been the easy part for the Congressional advisory panel on governance of the nuclear enterprise, but coming up with recommendations on how to fix the agency is proving to be a little more difficult. The 12-member advisory […]
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International
House Lawmakers Continue to Press for Action on Potential Russian INF Violations
Experts Urge U.S. Not to Withdraw From Treaty Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 7/18/2014 Frustrated with delays by the Obama Administration in taking action on potential Russian violations of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, two key Republicans this week urged the Administration to confront Moscow about the issue. In a July 17 letter to Secretary of […]
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Contracts & Procurement
AECOM Looks to Acquire URS in $6 Billion Deal
Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 7/18/2014 In a move that could have a significant impact for the Department of Energy marketplace, AECOM Technology Corp. is looking to purchase URS in a deal worth approximately $6 billion. The purchase, announced early this week, would involve AECOM acquiring all outstanding URS shares for $4 billion and assuming about […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
DOE Report Outlines Criticality Safety Shortfalls
Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 7/18/2014 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 […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Head of Y-12 Red Team Applauds NNSA Decision to Create Uranium Program Manager
Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 7/18/2014 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason, who headed the Red Team that reviewed the uranium operations at the Y-12 National Security Complex and recommended an alternative strategy to the Uranium Processing Facility, had a positive response to the NNSA’s creation of a uranium program manager. NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
DNFSB Closes Out 2004 Recommendation on Active Confinement Ventilation Systems
Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 7/18/2014 The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has closed a 2004 recommendation that called on the Department of Energy to strengthen active confinement ventilation systems at National Nuclear Security Administration and Office of Environmental Management sites. When it first drafted the recommendation, the Board was concerned that DOE was relying on […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Wrap Up: In Congress, In the Administration, In the Industry
NS&D Monitor 7/18/2014 IN CONGRESS The Senate confirmed career foreign service officer Robert Wood by voice vote July 15 as the United States’ Representative to the Conference on Disarmament. Wood’s confirmation came nearly seven months after he was first nominated to the position. Wood has been serving as the top U.S. official at the CD […]