Vol. 27, No. 37 
NNSA delivering rehabbed B61 bombs to Air Force for F-35 nuke mission
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
Convicted nuclear sub espionage accomplice argues 22-year sentence unconstitutional
The wife of a former Navy employee who attempted to sell nuclear-submarine secrets to a foreign nation argues that the 22-year sentence she got for her part in the attempted espionage violates her constitutional right to due process. During a half-hour of oral arguments before the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on Sept. 19, […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
Pendulum swinging back to weapons mission at Savannah River, where NNSA’s takeover is coming into focus
Owing to a renewed emphasis on producing plutonium pits for use in refurbished nuclear weapons, management of the Savannah River Site in South Carolina will revert to the National Nuclear Security Administration in October 2024. The now-310-square-mile facility near Aiken, South Carolina, was the locus of plutonium and tritium production for the primary stages of […]
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Budget & Policy
DOE, contractors, would keep working after shutdown, but travel would be restricted
Still deadlocked over whether to spend the maximum allowed by a law passed this spring, Congress on Friday still had not passed a bill to keep federal agencies open in the new government fiscal year that begins Sunday. On Friday, even before it failed by a 198-232 vote to pass in the chamber in which […]
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Life Extension Programs
NNSA employee working on W88 bypassed computer restrictions by using sub’s email, office
A federal employee at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s W88 Alteration 370 Federal Program Office, whose computer access was restricted, used a subcontractor’s email for five years to bypass those restrictions, according to a new watchdog report. The employee’s National Nuclear Security Administration building access also was restricted “due to a formal inquiry by a […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
NNSA investigating loss of criticality controls at Y-12 uranium processing facility
The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Enterprise Assessments is investigating an incident at the Y-12 National Security Complex in which a machine used to shape uranium was dismantled without proper criticality controls in place. In a letter dated Aug. 3, Anthony Pierpoint, director of the NNSA’s office of enforcement, notified Consolidated Nuclear Security’s (CNS) […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
BWXT pairs with Crowley to develop deployable ship-based military microreactors
Naval nuclear reactor manufacturer BWX Technologies has teamed with shipping company Crowley to develop a nuclear-powered concept ship for defense and disaster relief the company announced Sept. 20 on its website. Crowley signed a memorandum of understanding with BWX’s Advanced Technologies subsidiary that will allow both companies to jointly develop new shallow-draft-hull ships that can […]
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National Laboratories
Inspection turns up safety system concerns at Sandia’s Annular Core Reactor in New Mexico
National Technology and Engineering Solutions has established adequate safety systems management programs at Sandia National Laboratories, but a new watchdog report questions whether those programs can ensure safe nuclear operations at the lab’s New Mexico research reactor. The Energy Department’s Office of Enterprise Assessments inspected the safety system management practices at Sandia’s New Mexico campus, […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Wrap up: Commercial fusion by 2033?; New countries sign nuke treaties; GOP attempts to slash Granholm salary and more
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Monday announced plans to create a commercial nuclear fusion facility within 10 years, The Associated Press reports. The Biden administration sees fusion as a carbon-free energy source for powering homes and businesses. The Lawrence Livermore National Lab scientist in charge of nuclear weapon design and physics, whose team frequently uses […]