Vol. 27, No. 21 
Sluggish plutonium-pit production tells allies and adversaries U.S. nuke modernization ‘not important,” expert says
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Non-Proliferation
Energy Department efforts to root out insider threats still piecemeal eight years later, GAO says
Some programs to ferret out potential insider threats at the Department of Energy are still not in place eight years after they were established, the Government Accountability Office reported Thursday. DOE established its Insider Threats Program in 2014 but has “not implemented all required measures” for the program, like ensuring employees are trained to identify […]
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National Laboratories
Livermore Lab, SambaNova boost computing capacity to better study nuclear-weapon physics
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory added SambaNova Systems’ spatial data flow accelerator to the lab’s Livermore Computing Center as part of an effort to see if artificial intelligence can aid the nuclear-weapons program. Livermore will integrate the new hardware to further investigate cognitive simulation approaches combining artificial intelligence (AI) with high-performance computing to learn if deep […]
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International
In Hiroshima, G7 leaders denounce Russian nuclear rhetoric, reaffirm goal of nuclear-weapon-free world
Meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, the site of the first of the only two nuclear weapons deployed in wartime, leaders of the Group of Seven nations reaffirmed a commitment to rid the world of nuclear weapons. Along with the city of Nagasaki, Hiroshima “offers a reminder of the unprecedented devastation and immense human suffering the people […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Nuclear materials couriers essential to NNSA mission, says deputy administrator
At the heart of the U.S. nuclear weapons complex is an often-overlooked force of highly-trained, armed couriers who shepherd nuclear materials from one National Nuclear Security Administration site to another. NNSA Principal Deputy Administrator Frank Rose on May 18 praised the most recent class of candidates for that service, graduates of the Office of Secure […]
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Budget & Policy
House Appropriations Committee joins armed services panel in postponing budget markups
The House Appropriations Committee postponed markups of several fiscal year 2024 spending bills with no rain-check date given, the panel’s chairwoman said Monday. Citing ongoing negotiations between the administration and House Republican leadership, Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), who chairs the appropriations committee, said all markups scheduled for the week are now postponed. “Given recent developments […]
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International
Wrap up: Russian nukes in Belarus; IAEA director meets with Rosatom head; DOE computational fellows named and more
Russia on Thursday made good on a plan to deploy lower-yield nuclear weapons in Belarus, a move President Vladimir Putin announced in an interview with state television on March 25, Reuters and other news outlets reported. It is the first deployment of Russian nuclear weapons outside the country’s borders since the fall of the Soviet […]