Vol. 24, No. 41 
NNSA Tracks 100+ New COVID Cases; Infections Outpace Recoveries for Third Straight Week
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Non-Proliferation
NNSA to Start Environmental Review of Dilute and Dispose This Year; Scope Unclear
Later this year, the National Nuclear Security Administration will begin a formal review of its program to dispose of the 34 metric tons of plutonium once slated to be recycled into commercial reactor fuel, an agency official said. It was unclear whether the agency… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
Savannah River Pit Set to Gel Design in April in Formal Sign Off by DOE DepSec
The National Nuclear Security Administration should formalize in April its choice to build a pit-production from the remains of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina an agency official said recently. That would set… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
DOE Publishes Final Rule on Nuclear Safety Management; First Update in 15+ Years
The Department of Energy on Sunday finalized changes to its rule about nuclear safety management that, according to the government’s independent nuclear health and safety watchdog, could encourage contractors to unsafely increase radioactive hazards in old buildings. After… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as a […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Kansas City Site Vendor Delivered Parts With Wrong Alloy to Pantex Because of Unclear Product Drawings
A vendor to the Kansas City National Security Campus made thousands of nuclear weapons parts with the incorrect alloy because “product drawings were not clear,” forcing the Pantex Plant to pause servicing on multiple nuclear weapons in mid-September while the… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in […]
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National Laboratories
National Academies Panel Recommends Fixed Term for NNSA Administration, Removal of Senate Confirmation for Other Nuke Officials
The National Nuclear Security Administration’s leader should get a fixed term, senior agency managers should be exempted from Senate approval and the stockpile’s steward should strive for a closer contractual relationship with its nuclear-weapons laboratories, a National Academies report concluded. The 14-member, joint National Academy of Public Administration and National Academy of Sciences panel that […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Delayed Earnings Report Shows Fluor With 1Q Loss
Texas-based Fluor, a major contractor at Department of Energy nuclear weapon sites, lost $171 million, or $1.22 per share, for its first quarter that ended March 31, according to results released Thursday. Since late 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
STRATCOM Warns Against Triad Trimming, State Pushes Verifiable Warhead Freeze
This week, top U.S. officials in Washington warned against cutting the U.S. nuclear arsenal or agreeing to extend a nuclear arms control treaty with Russia without assurances that Moscow’s promised warhead freeze would actually happen. “[E]ach piece of our… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
NNSA Starts Rad-Sniffing Helo Flights Over D.C. for Inauguration Day Safeguards
The National Nuclear Security Administration’s radiation-sniffing helicopter started a campaign of low-altitude flights over Washington this week, part of an effort to safeguard against a nuclear-armed attack on January’s looming presidential inauguration. The… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as a subscriber to view this page. […]
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National Laboratories
Round-Up: NNSA Non-Pro Deal With Canda; Nuclear Co-op With Poland; Tritium Waste Gas
Here’s this week’s collection of quick-hit news about, and with implications for, U.S. nuclear security. The National Nuclear Security Administration and Canada’s Atomic Energy of Canada Limited have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as a subscriber to […]