Vol. 23, No. 17 
Two Plutonium Pit Plants Better Than One, Pentagon Says
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Stockpile Stewardship
NNSA to Keep JASON on Life Support Through January
The independent JASON panel of scientists appears set to receive a reprieve from the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration after the Pentagon last month said it would not renew MITRE Corp.’s expiring contract. “The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) anticipates the award of a firm-fixedprice/cost Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) hybrid contract to support the JASON program […]
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Non-Proliferation
Nonproliferation Budget ‘OK,’ Even With Program Reductions, NNSA Official Says
WASHINGTON — The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation office needs to end programs that have served their purpose, the head of that office told a panel of scientists here this week. “We know how to start a project, but we don’t know how to kill it,” Brent Park, NNSA deputy administrator for defense […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
DNFSB Staff Locked Out of Meetings at Nuke Sites Due to DOE Order
WASHINGTON — The Department of Energy locked Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) staff out of meetings at at least one defense nuclear site, a member of the independent federal nuclear health-and-safety watchdog said here Tuesday. At a public meeting, board member Joyce Connery said DNFSB staff at a site she did not identify were denied […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
Expert Wanted for Deposition in Nevada Plutonium Lawsuit Retired From DOE
A key figure in federal lawsuits involving weapon-usable plutonium moved last year to the Nevada National Security Sitehas retired from the Department of Energy, the agency confirmed this week. Henry Allen Gunter left DOE after a long federal career, a spokesperson for DOE’s Environmental Management Office at Savannah River confirmed in an email Tuesday. The […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Nevada Wants Appeals Court to Force Removal of Plutonium From State
A panel of appeals judges will hear oral argument from Nevada by early October about why the Department of Energy should remove a half metric ton of weapon-usable plutonium from the Nevada National Security Site’s Device Assembly Facility. That is according to a Monday order in which the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals told the […]
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Non-Proliferation
MOX Services, Subcontractor Say They Weren’t Part of Fraud Schemes at Savannah River
CB&I AREVA MOX Services and a former subcontractor say they should not have to pay the $19.2 million the United States is seeking in a fraud lawsuit. In separate documents filed over the last week in federal court, the companies said they had no knowledge of alleged schemes to defraud the government during construction of […]
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Non-Proliferation
State Dept. Has ‘Potential Concerns’ Over U.S.-Russian Plutonium Disposal Pact
The State Department has kept the moribund U.S.-Russian Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement (PMDA) in a congressionally mandated annual report of arms-control compliance concerns. The agency expended some 80 words of the roughly 5,000-word Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament Agreements and Commitments report to warn that Moscow’s 2016 supension of adherence to […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
SRS Security Contractor Must Pay for Ammo, Dog Food, DOE Says
The winner of the anticipated 10-year, $1 billion paramilitary security contract at the Energy Department’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina must pay for much of its own ammunition and all the dog food. That is among the tidbits in in a third round of questions and answers posted Wednesday on the DOE procurement website. […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Lockheed Martin Soars In First Quarter Of 2019
By Calvin Biesecker Defense Daily Lockheed Martin blew open the door in its first quarter financials with a strong showing across all of its operating segments and the company increased its guidance for earnings, sales and cash this year. Net income jumped a whopping 42 percent to $1.7 billion, $5.99 earnings per share (EPS), from […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Boeing 1Q Earnings Fall On 737 MAX Woes, But Defense Business Solid
By Calvin Biesecker Defense Daily As expected, Boeing on Wednesday reported lower sales and earning stemming from a halt in deliveries and flights of its 737 MAX passenger aircraft but the pain from that issue was softened by gains in the defense and services segments. “I want to be very clear, when it comes to resource […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
General Dynamics Earnings Dip While Sales Climb
By Calvin Biesecker Defense Daily General Dynamics on Wednesday posted higher first quarter sales due to gains in each of its business segments but net income fell on higher interest expenses and slightly higher taxes, which combined to more than offset a small rise in segment income. Net income dropped 7 percent to $745 million, […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
GD Wins $269 Million Mod For Nuke Sub Missile Tubes
The U.S. Navy this week awarded General Dyamics Electric Boat a $269 million contract modification to build 42 more missile tubes for the upcoming Columbia-class and U.K. Dreadnought-class submarines. The award covers the missile tubes as well as missile tube outfitting mat.e.rial under the U.S.-U.K. Common Missile Compartment program. Both countries will use the same missile […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Northrop Grumman Off To a Solid Start In 2019
By Calvin Biesecker Defense Daily The acquisition last year of Orbital ATK, combined with strong results in the company’s Aerospace Systems, led to a solid opening quarter for Northrop Grumman, with sales and earnings higher and the outlook for earnings higher this year. Net income increased 3 percent to $863 million, $5.06 earnings per share […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Raytheon Delivers Strong First Quarter But No Change To Guidance
By Calvin Biesecker Defense Daily Raytheon on Thursday reported strong first quarter results with the company’s earnings leading the way with a double-digit gain on operational performance, some pension tailwinds and other positives. Despite beating its own and analysts’ expectations on earnings, Raytheon left its outlook for 2019 unchanged. Company officials on their investor call said […]