Vol. 22, No. 18 
House NDAA Has $65M for Low-Yield Warhead; $15.3B Overall for NNSA
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Non-Proliferation
S.C. Gov. Threatens to Drag DOE to Court if it Cancels MFFF
The governor of South Carolina this week promised a court challenge if the Department of Energy cancels the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) under construction in his state, or turns the planned plutonium-disposal plant into a new weapons facility. The… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged […]
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Contracts & Procurement
MOX Prime CB&I Approves Merger With McDermott
A merger of McDermott International and CB&I, the majority partner in the contractor building a plutonium-conversion plant for the Department of Energy, is expected to close May 10 after shareholders for both companies approved the combination. That is according… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as […]
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Non-Proliferation
Judge to Hear Oral Arguments This Month in MOX Lawsuit
A federal judge has decided to let the Department of Energy and a contractor argue in court about whether the agency was allowed to claw back some $20 million in fees on a long-overdue, over-budget plutonium disposal plant in South Carolina. That is according… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must […]
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National Laboratories
Los Alamos Paused Some Plutonium Ops in March
The Los Alamos National Laboratory called a two-day time out on some of its plutonium work late last month after personnel put fissile material in the wrong containers, according to a report released April 27 by an independent federal nuclear-safety watchdog. Both… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Government Business Was Bright Spot in Lousy Quarter for Fluor
The government sector was one of the few bright spots early this year in what Fluor Chairman and CEO David Seaton described Thursday as “a disastrous quarter.” “I think we have a good brand in that market and are continuing to bid those projects and being… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Bechtel Vet Rusinko Gets Spot on Company Board
Barbara Rusinko, a veteran of Bechtel National’s Yucca Mountain and Hanford Site Waste Treatment Plant programs, has joined the parent company’s Board of Directors, Bechtel Group announced Tuesday. Rusinko, president of Bechtel Nuclear, Security & Environmental,… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as a subscriber to view […]
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National Laboratories
Oak Ridge Lab Puts Iranian Heavy Water to Work
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee is replacing an inner reflector plug at its neutron source with a new one, filled with about 6 metric tons of heavy water purchased from Iran. The Energy Department’s lab Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) produces… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be […]
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National Laboratories
Sandia Swindler Sena Gets Three-Year Sentence
A federal judge in New Mexico last week sentenced a former Sandia National Laboratories contractor to three years in prison for fraudulently steering procurement money to a moving company she owned. U.S. District Judge M. Christina Armijo also ordered Carla Sena,… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Fraud Sentencing Date Set for Former MOX Subcontractors
Sentencing has been scheduled for the two men who pleaded guilty to stealing $4.4 million from the federal government while conducting work for the MOX project at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Aaron Vennefron and Phillip Thompson… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be […]
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Budget & Policy
Air Force General Concerned About Possible Return Of Budget Caps In FY 2020
By Marc Selinger Defense Daily Recent increases in U.S. defense spending have bolstered the Air Force’s nuclear modernization efforts, but the possible return of across-the-board budget cuts in FY 2020 looms as a potential threat to those programs, a service… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as […]
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Non-Proliferation
Former Pence Aide Confirmed to State Dept. Nonproliferation Post
The Senate on Friday confirmed a former national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security. The Senate confirmed Andrea Thompson by a voice vote. A retired U.S. Army colonel, Thompson was… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged […]
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National Laboratories
LANL Regional Coalition Seeks New Director
The Board of Directors for the Regional Coalition of LANL Communities (RCLC) voted April 27 to advertise for a new executive director to succeed Andrea Romero, whose contract was not renewed at the end of February following a public dispute over expense reimbursements. Los… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You […]