Vol. 20, No. 21 
Senate Appropriators Also OK New Low-Yield Warhead for NNSA in 2019
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Budget & Policy
House 2019 NDAA Has Low-Yield Warhead, No Pits for Savannah River
The House of Representatives easily passed its version of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Thursday, sending the Senate a strongly bipartisan bill that calls for the National Nuclear Security Administration to begin work on a low-yield, submarine-launched ballistic-missile warhead. The same day, the Senate Appropriations Committee also overwhelmingly approved funding for the […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
South Carolina Threatens to Sue Energy Department Over MOX Termination
South Carolina could sue the Department of Energy today over plans to terminate the Savannah River Site’s MOX project, state Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a letter Tuesday to DOE Secretary Rick Perry. The Energy Department earlier this month formalized plans to convert the unfinished Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) for production of […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
NNSA Thinks No New Environmental Study of UPF Needed
The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration does not think it needs to conduct additional environmental study of the next-generation Uranium Processing Facility being built at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee. That is the preliminary conclusion of the semiautonomous civilian steward of the nation’s nuclear weapons programs, expressed Monday in a 69-page […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Senate Committee Approves Nominee to Lead NNSA Weapons Portfolio
The Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday approved Charles Verdon of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to lead the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) defense programs office. The committee approved Verdon’s nomination by a voice vote. The nuclear engineer, currently principal associate director at Livermore’s weapons and complex integration directorate, now needs approval from the […]
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Budget & Policy
DNFSB Selects New Technical Director
Chris Roscetti will become technical director for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) on June 23, the independent federal health-and-safety watchdog for Department of Energy nuclear programs announced May 18. Roscetti, a naval submarine veteran, previously served as the board’s associate technical director for nuclear programs and analysis, and has also served as DNFSB […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Engine Replacements Will Keep B-52 In Service for Decades: General
Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, head of U.S. Air Force Materiel Command, told defense reporters last week she is confident that the B-52 bomber, which the Air Force plans to equip with new engines, can remain in service until 2050. Although the plane is more than 55 years old, it has relatively few flight hours and has […]