Vol. 26, No. 11 
NNSA extends prime contractor for Pantex, Y-12 amid controversy about sites’ future management
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Warhead & Weapons Development
New W93 deets but no pit updates in NNSA’s latest unclassified stockpile stewardship report
A new submarine-launched ballistic missile warhead will be ready for production by 2036, and the National Nuclear Security Administration still hasn’t missed deliveries to the military because of COVID, according to the agency’s latest annual unclassified progress report. Notionally, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) will produce the final proof-of-concept model, or first production unit, […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Talks continue on Savannah River options, DOE panel says
Talks on the future of the Savannah River Site in South Carolina are continuing between the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management and the National Nuclear Security Administration, Nicole Nelson-Jean, a veteran of both DOE branches, said during a recent industry gathering. Nelson-Jean, currently associate principal deputy assistant secretary for field operations for the […]
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Budget & Policy
Maximum telework ends at DOE HQ; personnel return to offices
Personnel at DOE headquarters in Washington completed their “reentry” to the work place after two years of maximum telework during the COVID-19 pandemic, a spokesperson said Thursday, though headquarters had not yet tallied the exact number of people who returned to their pre-pandemic work stations. “On Monday, DOE completed its formal reentry process at most […]
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Budget & Policy
Familiar nuke names nab spots on Congress’ new strategic posture commission
A congressionally chartered commission about U.S. strategic posture is stacked with nuclear-savvy appointees, including the woman who led the National Nuclear Security Administration during most of the Donald Trump administration. Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) under Trump, will get her direct line to Congress back as one of Sen. Jim […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
S.C. Lawmakers Unsatisfied With Their Share of Plutonium Settlement in State Budget
Five elected representatives from the Aiken, S.C., area said this week they planned to carry on a fight in the state legislature for a bigger share of federal settlement money related to weapon-usable plutonium at the Savannah River Site. With Rep. Bart Blackwell (R-Aiken County) acting as spokesman Monday, the state house members from the […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
Fed review of RLUOB recategorization in May
Los Alamos National Laboratory appeared more or less on track to recategorize one part of its planned plutonium complex as a hazard category three facility, allowing for increased storage of the fissile material there, according to a recent report by the government’s independent nuclear watchdog. In February, Los Alamos prime Triad National Security wrapped up […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Small businesses get small window to buck for NNSA construction support contract
The National Nuclear Security Administration’s five-year Enterprise Construction Management Services contract is up for bids and interested small businesses have just over a week to ask questions about the quick-turnaround bid request and just over two weeks to get quotes in. The winner of the contract that went up for grabs last week will provide […]
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Budget & Policy
Longtime congressional, DOE staffer Davis is Granholm’s new staff chief
Christopher Davis will be Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm’s next chief of staff, Granholm wrote Friday in an all-hands email. Davis, according to his LinkedIn profile, has been a senior advisor to Granholm since right around Inauguration Day, prior to which he held various roles at DOE dating back to 2011. Before that, he spent […]