Nuclear Security & Deterrence Vol. 19 No. 12 Navy Commander in Part of Nuclear Enterprise Removed from Duty
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
At Pantex
Plant Looking for Groundwater Well Activities Contractor NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 Pantex Plant contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security is planning to put out a Request for Proposals for groundwater well activities, according to a solicitation released on FedBizOpps this week. CNS said it is looking for a contractor on an “as-needed basis” to support Pantex’s Long Term […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
At Oak Ridge
Doubling Production at Y-12 9212 Facility to Pose Major Challenge for Contractor CNS NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 Doubling production at the aged 9212 uranium processing facility and maintaining safety won’t be easy, but National Nuclear Security Administration chief Frank Klotz said last week the recent goal put in place by the agency is important, doable and […]
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International
Panel: Russia’s Aggressive Behavior Threatens World Order, Destroys Bilateral Trust
Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 Russia’s annexation of Crimea, coupled with the Kremlin’s withdrawal from longstanding bilateral nuclear cooperation efforts and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent nuclear saber-rattling, has severed trust between Russia and the U.S. and continues to threaten international stability, former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) said this week during a nuclear security panel […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Thornberry: Full HASC to Look More Closely at Strategic Deterrence
Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 As weapon systems in the U.S. nuclear triad age out of their service lives in the next few decades, the full House Armed Services Committee will look more closely at modernization, committee Chair Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) said this week. “I’m afraid we have grown somewhat complacent about the importance […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
Navy Might Have to Look Outside Itself to Fund Ohio-Class Replacement
Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 OGDEN, UTAH—The Defense Department might be forced to “look creatively” at funding the estimated $139 billion Ohio-class Replacement, including shifting money from other services, a top Navy official said March 19. “I don’t advocate that at all,” Rear Adm. Richard Breckenridge, Director of the Navy Warfare Integration Division (N91) said […]
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Stockpile Stewardship
NNSA Releases Update to Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan
Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 The National Nuclear Security Administration released this week the latest update to its Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan, outlining a plan that it says balances near- and long-term stockpile, infrastructure and science and technology needs—as long as Congress provides necessary funding for the program. “NNSA has great confidence in its ability […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Industry Confronting Multiple Issues with Aging Triad
Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 OGDEN, Utah —Almost two years after the Air Force began the Future ICBM Sustainment and Acquisition Construct (FISAC) and as life extension work continues on systems such as the B-52 and Trident D5, the private nuclear weapons industry is confronting issues related to parts obsolescence, supply chain, employee recruitment and […]
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Budget & Policy
House, Senate Budget Resolutions Increase War Funds, Making Room for Nuclear Spending?
Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 The House and Senate Budget Committees this week released their versions of the Fiscal Year 2016 budget resolution, creating cautious optimism among nuclear weapons complex observers about how much extra defense money—if any—will be available to lawmakers in Fiscal Year 2016 for nuclear modernization efforts. The Senate Budget Committee adhered […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
New Bomber Program Progressing According To Plan, LaPlante Says
Pat Host Defense Daily 3/20/2015 The Air Force’s secretive and lucrative Long Range Strike Bomber (LRSB) program is progressing according to plan, according to a key service official. Assistant Air Force Secretary for Acquisition Bill LaPlante told a Senate panel March 19, when asked about an increase in the program’s unit cost, that the $550 […]
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Decommissioning
GAO: EM Not Properly Prioritizing NNSA Facilities for D&D
Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 Fourteen vacant National Nuclear Security Administration facilities have languished since 2009 without being decontaminated or decommissioned due to a lack of funding, and the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management may not be properly prioritizing the facilities it takes from the NNSA, the Government Accountability Office said in a […]
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Defense & Military
Air Force Global Strike Commander Nominated to be STRATCOM Deputy Commander
Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson has been nominated to serve as the next deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command. Wilson has commanded Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) since October 2013, during which he advocated for an across-the-board portfolio of nuclear modernization for the air- and ground-based legs of the nuclear […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
SRS Working With NNSA to Limit Impacts of Proposed FY16 Budget Cut for H-Canyon
Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 PHOENIX, Ariz.—In order to limit the impacts of proposed budget cuts to new processing missions at Savannah River’s H-Canyon facility, the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Operations Office is working with the National Nuclear Security Administration on H-Canyon funding, DOE Savannah River Manager Dave Moody said here this week. Programs […]
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Contracts & Procurement
NNSA Preparing Small Business Set-Aside Opportunities This Fiscal Year
Mike Nartker NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 PHOENIX, Ariz.—The National Nuclear Security Administration is planning to move forward this fiscal year with three contracting opportunities to be set aside for small businesses, an agency official said this week. Such opportunities will include a contract to provide NEPA support services, which is set to be worth approximately $125 […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
FAS Releases Report on Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program
Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 The Obama Administration and Congress should work to make sure the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program has enough funding and resources to address current and projected necessary investments in the overall naval nuclear enterprise, according to a report released March 19 by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). The report “Naval […]
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National Laboratories
At Sandia
White House Official Named LLNL Dep. Director for Science and Technology NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 White House Office of Science and Technology Policy official Patricia Falcone has been named the Deputy Director for Science and Technology at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and will take over her new position April 7. Falcone was detailed from Sandia National […]
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International
At Savannah River
French Ambassador Tours MOX Facility NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 French Ambassador Gerard Araud visited the Savannah River Site this week, touring the controversial Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility project. Araud was accompanied by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and several other French officials and met with AREVA Chief Executive Officer Gary Mignogna as well as French employees […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Wrap Up
NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 IN CONGRESS National Nuclear Security Administration chief Frank Klotz, acting DOE cleanup chief Mark Whitney and Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Vice Chairman Jesse Roberson will testify before the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee next week. The hearing will be held at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in Room 2118 of the Rayburn […]