Vol. 24, No. 21 
NNSA Tracking Three New COVID-19 Cases; Pantex Ramp-Up Delayed Amid Texas Infection Surge
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Return-to-Work Approaches Piloted at Weapons Sites Coming to DOE HQ
The first employees who return to Department of Energy headquarters buildings in Washington, D.C., and nearby Maryland, whenever that might be, will get a taste of the new normal their colleagues at nuclear sites have experienced for weeks amid the COVID-19 pandemic,… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Respirators Will Cost NNSA 70% More Than First Bargained For
It’s a good-news, bad-news week regarding the 225,000 Chinese-made personal respirators the National Nuclear Security Administration ordered to protect employees and contractors from COVID-19. The good news is they’re still coming. The bad news is that they… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as a subscriber to […]
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Stockpile Stewardship
Expansion of Subcritical Testing Space Resumed Quickly After Nevada Site’s Virus Shutdown
The Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) suspended most of its nuclear operations in late March because of COVID-19, but expansion of the site’s underground subcritical testing laboratory came back online in the first week of April. Expanding the existing U1a… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
No New COVID-19 Cases at Nuclear Fuel Services
Nuclear Fuel Services has not tracked any new cases of COVID-19 among its workforce since an outbreak in mid-April sickened multiple employees at its Erwin, Tenn., uranium-processing plant, a spokesperson said Thursday morning. The BWX Technologies subsidiary “has… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as a […]
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Budget & Policy
Senate Working Biz Liability Protections After House Dems Jammed Through COVID-19 Relief Bill
Senate leaders continued this week to work on liability protections for businesses that reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic, after the House’s Democratic majority pushed through a $3-trillion COVID-19 economic relief bill the White House has threatened to… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as a subscriber […]
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Non-Proliferation
Report Spreads Blame for Cesium-137 Spill in Seattle
The Department of Energy, the manager of its Los Alamos National Laboratory, and an on-site contractor all shoulder some blame for a May 2019 incident that contaminated a University of Washington building in Seattle with cesium-137, according to a recent report. The… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be […]
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Non-Proliferation
Trump’s New Arms Control Negotiator Says Hurting Modernization Hurts Arms Control
Marshall Billingslea, President Donald Trump’s new point man on arms control, warned Thursday that Congress would undercut arms control negotiations with Russia and China by slowing progress on the modernization of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. “Congress has strongly… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as a […]
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Contracts & Procurement
NNSA Sites Still Resolving Subcontractor Reimbursement for COVID-19 Costs
Weeks after the Department of Energy authorized operators of nuclear-weapon sites to bill the government for expenses associated with COVID-19 prevention, most of those prime contractors are still working on trickling down relief to subcontractors. One of the primes’… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Air Force Completes Key Milestone for Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent
The Air Force recently completed the preliminary design review (PDR) for the Northrop Grumman-developed Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) in late April. The PDR took place April 28-30 and is the latest major programmatic milestone for the service to undertake… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Air Force Taking Bids to Build New Engines for B-52
The Air Force contract to build more than 600 new commercial engines to power the aging, nuclear-capable B-52 bomber through the 2050s will run 17 years, with six years of firm money, according to a solicitation released Tuesday. The service’s Commercial Engine… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be […]