Vol. 24, No. 06 
Pentagon Will Foot Bill for NNSA’s 2021 Budget Plus-Up, Report Says
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Warhead & Weapons Development
Pentagon Confirms Deployment of Low-Yield SLBM Warhead
The Pentagon confirmed Tuesday that it has deployed the W76-2 low-yield warhead for submarine-launched ballistic-missiles. “The U.S. Navy has fielded the W76-2 low-yield submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) warhead.,” according to a statement from Undersecretary of Defense for Policy John Rood. The nongovernmental Federation of American Scientists reported last week that the Navy deployed “one or two” W76-2 warheads […]
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Contracts & Procurement
NNSA Cites Frustrations With Kansas City, Los Alamos in 2019 Contractor Evaluations
The new Los Alamos National Laboratory manager missed out on nearly 45% of its potential award fees for fiscal 2019, owing to a lackluster safety posture, while the contract prime at the Kansas City National Security Complex might have trouble delivering nuclear-weapon parts on time, according to new federal performance evaluations. The Department of Energy’s […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
NNSA Backs Off Drive to Speed Up Pit Production at Los Alamos
The National Nuclear Security Administration last spring quietly backed off a drive to produce 30 plutonium nuclear-warhead cores per year at the Los Alamos National Laboratory earlier than the long-established target of 2026, a recently published contract modification shows. The April 30, 2019, modification to Triad National Security’s lab management and operations contract scrubs out […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
DOE, South Carolina Still in Talks Over Massive Plutonium-Removal Fines
The Department of Energy and South Carolina are discussing options for removing excess plutonium that was intended to be processed at the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility, and looking at options to settle the state’s claim that the agency owes hundreds of millions of dollars for missing deadlines to remove that plutonium from the Savannah […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
DOE Plutonium Disposition Project Reaches Critical Decision 1
The National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Surplus Plutonium Disposition project has reached Critical Decision 1 (CD-1), paving the way for the agency to begin procurement on the long-awaited replacement for the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The project hit the milestone on Dec. 19, a spokesperson […]
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National Laboratories
Ex-LANL Scientist to be Sentenced in April for Alleged Lies About Chinese Connection
A federal judge is scheduled on April 22 to sentence a former Los Alamos National Laboratory physicist who has pleaded guilty to lying about his relationship with a Chinese talent recruitment program, according to a hearing notice filed Sunday. Turab Lookman, formerly of the New Mexico lab’s Theoretical Division, pleaded guilty in January to one count of […]
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National Laboratories
Amentum is New Name With Familiar Faces to DOE Crowd, Executive Says
While Amentum is a new company, it is far from a new face doing business for government nuclear and environmental agencies, a senior executive said Tuesday. The former AECOM Management Services division officially became Amentum on Jan. 31 with the closure of the $2.4 billion sale to affiliates of New York-based investment firms Lindsay Goldberg […]
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National Laboratories
Los Alamos Contract Competition Could Save $75M, NNSA Says
Relying on competition, rather than a sole-source award, to choose the latest management contractor for the Energy Department’s Los Alamos National Laboratory could save about $75 million over the life of the potentially $20-billion, 10-year deal, according to the Government Accountability Office. Some of the potential savings come from the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Second Minuteman Launch to Test NNSA-Made Warhead Fuse in the Books
The Air Force launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile in the early morning hours on Wednesday, testing a new fuse that would set off the nuclear warhead tipping that weapon, as well as its planned successor. The Air Force development test launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California happened one year from the […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Judge Sides with Savannah River Security Contractor in Discrimination Case
A lawsuit claiming the Savannah River Site’s security contractor discriminated against a former employee should be dismissed because it was filed past the time allowed under the statute of limitations, a federal magistrate judge recommended. Judge Paige Gossett also noted on Jan. 30 that Marcialena Brown’s $3.5 million complaint covers both Centerra-SRS and two company […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Profits at Honeywell’s Continuing Operations Grew in 2019
The continuing operations of Honeywell flashed 10% per-share earnings growth in 2019, the parent company of multiple Department of Energy site management contractors reported Friday. Excluding the effects of spinning off its transportation systems and commercial building technology units in 2018, Honeywell’s 2019 earnings rose on a per-share basis to $8.16, according to a press […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Northrop Grumman Announces New CFO
Northrop Grumman on Wednesday said its board has elected David Keffer as its new chief financial officer effective Feb. 17. He succeeds Kenneth Bedingfield, who will remain with the company until Feb. 21 to help with the transition. Keffer comes to Northrop Grumman from the private equity firm Blue Delta Capital Partners, which he joined in 2018 […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Lockheed Earns $474 Million Trident Life-Extension Contract
The Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $474 million contract for Trident II (D5) ballistic missile life-extension work. The contract, announced last week, specifically covers the Life Extension 2 Strategic Systems Programs Alteration Advanced Development Program. Work will largely occur in Denver, Colo., and is expected to be finished by September 2026. The Navy obligated […]