Nuclear Security & Deterrence Vol. 19 No. 13 Air Force Team Will Evaluate Role of GBSD
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Boeing Begins Work on FISAC Guidance Subsystem Contract
Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 Since the Air Force on Jan. 8 announced Boeing the winner of the Minuteman 3 Guidance Subsystem contract under a newly established, government-managed contracting structure for intercontinental ballistic missiles, the company has been working to replace a 40-plus-year-old technology on the weapons that includes instrumentation for flight tests, command destruct, […]
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Defense & Military
CAPE Director: Nuclear Enterprise Maintained at Diminished Margin
Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 OGDEN, UTAH—Air Force nuclear missileers are maintaining a safe, secure and effective deterrent, but are doing so at a “diminished margin,” Dr. Jamie Morin, Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, said here at last week’s TRIAD forum. “That’s the most […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Wrap Up
NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 IN THE INDUSTRY Three members of Babcock & Wilcox’s Board of Directors will be up for re-election at the company’s annual shareholder’s meeting May 1, B&W said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing late last week. The members up for reelection include Jan Bertsch, the executive vice president and chief financial […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
NNSA Response to Governance Panel Report Delayed
Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 The National Nuclear Security Administration will deliver a report to Congress on its response to the recommendations of the Congressional Advisory Panel on the Governance of the Nuclear Security Enterprise in three-to-four weeks, NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz told the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee this week. The timeline represents […]
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Budget & Policy
SecAF: BCA Would Reduce Investment in Nuclear Forces by $1-$2B
Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 The Air Force has programmed a plus-up of about $5.6 billion for its nuclear enterprise over the Future Years’ Defense Program (FYDP), some of which would presumptively fund the procurement of close to 100 long-range strike bombers, but the Budget Control Act (BCA) could force the service to reduce to […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Y-12/Pantex Mgmt. Consolidation Has Already Saved $80M, NNSA Says
Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 The National Nuclear Security Administration is already reaping the benefits of consolidating the management and operating contracts at the Y-12 and Pantex nuclear weapons plants, having already saved $80 million, NNSA Principal Deputy Administrator Madelyn Creedon said in a response to a Government Accountability Office report that raised questions about […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
SSP Official: AF/Navy Nuclear Force Commonalities Appear Promising
Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 OGDEN, UTAH – Collaboration between the Air Force ICBM System Program Office and Navy Strategic System Programs (SSP) looks promising, Michael Maglich, SSP Technical Director/Deputy Direct Reporting Program Manager, said last week here at the TRIAD conference. “I think we have a common forcing function, the budget, that we didn’t […]
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Budget & Policy
Sen. Feinstein Raises Questions About Former Deputy Energy Secretary’s New Post at Centrus
Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 Another lawmaker raised concerns this week regarding former Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Poneman’s new position as CEO of Centrus Energy Corp., as Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) questioned Poneman’s potential influence on Department of Energy staff. Earlier this month the uranium enrichment firm, which under its previous name USEC received substantial […]
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Budget & Policy
Democratic Lawmakers Reintroduce Bills to Cut Nuclear Weapons Spending
Todd Jacobson and Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) reintroduced parallel legislation this week in the House and Senate that would cut $100 billion in nuclear weapons spending over the next decade. The lawmakers have previously authored bills similar to the “Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures (SANE) […]
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Defense & Military
20th Air Force Commander Nominated for A10 Position
Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 In the latest of a series of announced leadership shuffles in the Air Force’s Nuclear Enterprise, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter last week announced that President Obama has nominated Maj. Gen. Jack Weinstein, 20th Air Force commander, for promotion to the rank of lieutenant general and assignment as deputy chief of […]
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International
White House Defends Against Russian Counter-Assertions of INF Violation
Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 A White House official this week responded point by point to three Russian assertions that the U.S. has violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, while reiterating Washington’s goal to bring Russia back into compliance with the agreement. The U.S. publicly accused Russia in July of violating INF Treaty by […]
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Non-Proliferation
Obama Administration Not Giving Up on Prospects for CTBT
Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 Time is dwindling for the Obama Administration to make a push for Senate ratification of the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty, but Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller said this week that she’s not giving up on one of the pillars of President Obama’s nuclear security […]
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National Laboratories
Sens. Udall, Heinrich Introduce Bill to Boost LDRD Funding
Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 New Mexico Sens. Tom Udall (D) and Martin Heinrich (D) introduced a bill this week to boost Laboratory Directed Research and Development programs at the Department of Energy’s national laboratories. The “LDRD Enhancement Act of 2015” would increase the percentage of lab funding that can be set aside for special […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
CNS Addressing Employee Benefit Concerns
Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 Consolidated Nuclear Security is continuing to try to address employee concerns about benefit reductions at Y-12 and Pantex while trying to carry out its promise to reduce costs and bring the plants into compliance with Department of Energy orders. About 400 Pantex employees reportedly met with health care providers March […]
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Non-Proliferation
NNSA Releases Broad Strategy for Nonproliferation Account
Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 The National Nuclear Security Administration released this week for the first time a comprehensive strategy for its nonproliferation work. Called Prevent, Counter, and Respond—A Strategic Plan to Reduce Global Nuclear Threats, the 124-page document provides an overview of NNSA’s plans for its recently reorganized nonproliferation account from Fiscal Year 2016 […]
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Defense & Military
Montana Delegation Expresses Disapproval of FAA Powder River Decision
Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 Montana Sens. Steve Daines (R) and Jon Tester (D) expressed disappointment this week about the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) decision to approve the Air Force’s proposed expansion of the Powder River Training Complex (PRTC). B-1s housed at Ellsworth AFB and B-52s housed at Minot AFB currently use the area, which […]
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National Laboratories
At Los Alamos
Burns & McDonnell to Build $12M Power Supply Building at Technical Area-55 NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 Burns & McDonnell, a Kansas City-based architecture, engineering and construction company, recently won a $12 million contract to build a nuclear class building that will house a pair of redundant power supply systems at Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Technical Area-55, […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
At Oak Ridge
False Alarm at Purification Facility NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 Not long after resuming operations following an evacuation and three-month shutdown due to a chemical spill, Y-12’s Purification Facility—which produces classified Fogbank for nuclear weapons—was once again evacuated this week. This time it was a false alarm, though, and top officials at the Oak Ridge plant said […]
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Defense & Military
CORRECTION
A March 20 story incorrectly noted that Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker was relieved of his duties as commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Naval Air Force (CNAP). The Internet version of the story was corrected on March 24 to show that Capt. Heather Cole was relieved of her duties as commander of Strategic Communications Wing 1 […]