Vol. 24, No. 34 
Energy Dept. to Pay $600M to Settle South Carolina Plutonium Lawsuit
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Plutonium Pit Production
NNSA Officially Approves Los Alamos to Make ICBM Pits Starting in 2026
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) this week officially green-lit the Los Alamos National Laboratory to make 30 war-ready warhead cores in 2026 for next-generation intercontinental ballistic missiles. Under the long-expected decision, the northern New Mexico weapon-design laboratory “will produce a minimum of 30 war reserve pits per year for the national pit production mission […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
More COVID-19 Recoveries Than New Cases at NNSA This Week
Recoveries from COVID-19 outpaced new confirmed cases among employees of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) this week, the agency said Friday. The semiautonomous DOE nuclear-weapon steward was tracking 98 confirmed, active cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, a spokesperson said. That is down by 13 confirmed, active cases from last week. […]
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Life Extension Programs
Pentagon Nuke Policy Chief Not Aware of Life-Extension Delays at NNSA From COVID-19
The Pentagon is keeping a close eye on nuclear weapons life-extension programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) during the COVID-19 pandemic, but to date there have been no signs of any delays, a senior Defense Department official said Wednesday. “I don’t believe that there have been any COVID-related implications to the life-extension programs,” Robert […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
DNFSB Chairman Abruptly Resigns
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Chairman Bruce Hamilton is resigning from the panel, effective next week, the agency said Monday. Hamilton submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump, according to a one-paragraph announcement from the agency. The DNFSB said Hamilton will depart on Sept. 12 – just over two months after he was confirmed […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Northrop Grumman Awarded $135 Million Contract for Cruise Missile Refurbishment
By Frank Wolfe Defense Daily The U.S. Air Force on Sept. 2 awarded Northrop Grumman a $135 million contract for refurbishment of the inertial navigation system of the Boeing AGM-86B Air-Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM). “Work encompasses the disassembly, cleaning, inspection, maintenance, re-assembly, testing and finishing actions as required to return the end item to a […]
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International
China Has Enough Fissile Material to Double Warhead Stockpile, Pentagon Says
China has more than 200 nuclear warheads and about enough fissile material on hand to make at least that many more, according to a report published Tuesday by the Department of Defense. Doubling that stockpile is exactly what Beijing is likely to do over the next 10 years, the Pentagon stated in the 2020 version […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Nuclear Dove Markey K.O.’s Kennedy in Democratic Primary for Senate Seat
The Senate delegation from Massachusetts looks set to retain it tag-team of nuclear disarmament advocates into the next presidential term, now that Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) has defeated Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) in a Democratic primary in the blue state. At deadline Friday, the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth had not released the official […]
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National Laboratories
STRATCOM Commander Visits Livermore Lab
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California received a VIP visit from the head of U.S. Strategic Command this week, as it continues to work on the warhead-refresh for the airborne leg of the nation's nuclear triad. Navy Adm. Charles Richard visited the Livermore, Calif., weapons laboratory on Monday, as wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic continued […]