Vol. 27, No. 49 
Nuclear security in 2023: pits press on; UPF stumbles; industry consolidation looms
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Plutonium Pit Production
NDAA would bar plutonium-cleanup expansion until LANL can make 30 pits per year
The Los Alamos National Laboratory would be barred from expanding equipment needed to dispose of surplus plutonium until the lab certifies it can produce at least 30 nuclear weapon cores annually, under a bill passed last week. The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which Congress passed Thursday, would prohibit expansion of the Advanced Recovery and […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
Houston confirmed by Senate to lead Naval Reactors, cleared for promotion to Admiral
About six months after his nomination, the Senate on Tuesday confirmed Vice Adm. William Houston to be director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program that develops reactors for Navy warships and submarines. Houston was nominated in May to lead Naval Reactors for an eight-year term. At the time, however, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) was blocking […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
NNSA not ruling out snappy commercial for recruitment, official says
The Navy’s drive to recruit submarine builders inspired one National Nuclear Security Administration official, who on Tuesday said the nuclear-weapons agency might consider its own flashy recruitment ad. “Everyone in my house was riveted to that commercial,” Frank Lowery, associate administrator for management and budget for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said of the We […]
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National Laboratories
Los Alamos votes to stay local and promote No. 2 to county manager
The Los Alamos County Council in New Mexico voted unanimously last week to hire current deputy manager Anne Laurent, to become the new county manager effective March 3, 2024. The 7-0 vote during a Dec. 15 special meeting means Laurent will succeed her boss, Los Alamos County Manager Steven Lynne, who is retiring. During the […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
Wrap up: SRPPF suit could stretch to summer; Holtec to build nuke plant parts in Ukraine; NNSA cooperation with Chile
An environmentalist lawsuit seeking to delay construction of the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility could stretch out until at least May, according to a scheduling order filed this week in the federal district court for South Carolina in Aiken. In the two year-old lawsuit, four environmental groups sued the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), arguing […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Publication Notice
Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor will not publish on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in observance of the New Year’s holiday. Look for the next issue in your inbox on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.