Vol. 28, No. 28 
Senators ‘concerned’ about U.S. uranium enrichment capabilities, SLCM-N NDAA report shows
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Non-Proliferation
House committee adds NNSA nonproliferation language to 2025 budget bill
WASHINGTON — The first draft of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s 2025 budget passed the House Appropriations Committee Tuesday on a largely party line vote and one new directive about nuclear nonproliferation in Eastern Europe. The committee passed the bill 30-26, which if made law would provide some $25.5 billion to the National Nuclear Security […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
DOD to restructure Sentinel program; announces more delays, overruns for next nuclear ICBM
The Air Force’s next-generation nuclear-tipped, silo-based intercontinental ballistic missile will continue but will be drastically restructured amid further cost increases and schedule delays announced Monday by the Department of Defense. The new overall cost estimate for Sentinel is $140.9 billion: 81% higher than the September 2020 estimate when the program entered its manufacturing phase and […]
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International
Iran elects new president that campaigned to restart nuke talks with the U.S.
In Iran’s election run-off Friday, Iran’s citizens voted in a candidate that promised in his campaign to negotiate with the U.S. and Europe on nuclear activities again, media outlets reported. Masoud Pezeshkian, a lawmaker and heart surgeon, defeated conservative opponent Saeed Jalili narrowly — with only 50% voter turnout nationwide — on the campaign of […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Senate Armed Services wants report on possible deployment of 450 Sentinels
The Senate Armed Services Committee wants a report from the Air Force and Pentagon about the possible deployment of 450, rather than 400, Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missiles. The lawmakers asked for the study in a bill report published the same week the Department of Defense announced further cost overruns and developmental delays for LGM-35A Sentinel, […]
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Budget & Policy
Notable anti-nuclear representative Garamendi announces cancer diagnosis
A California member of the House Armed Services Committee, famed for his opposition to the current nuclear modernization regime, announced Monday that he has a form of blood cancer. Rep. John Garamendi (D-Cali.), 79, was diagnosed with early stage multiple myeloma, a form of “treatable” blood cancer, according to a press release on his website. […]
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Budget & Policy
Senate votes to confirm Lee to DNFSB
The full Senate Tuesday voted 54-to-41, mostly upon party lines, to confirm the nomination of Patricia Lee, a manager at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina, to be a member of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. The final vote was tallied shortly after 3:00 p.m. Eastern time. The Senate […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
KCNSC begins first phase of $6.4 billion project with $199 million construction deal
The National Nuclear Security Administration announced this week it entered into a multi-year agreement in May to expand operations and office space at the Kansas City National Security Campus in Missouri. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) made the agreement with Promontory 150 LLC in May to purchase both land and what a spokesperson for […]
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Contracts & Procurement
DOE updates contractor diversity expectations amid House GOP pushback
Department of Energy contractors should consider requiring “diversity training” when developing diversity plans, according to the latest version of its acquisition guide, published this week. That’s despite recent pushback by Republican House appropriators. Diversity plans were already required by DOE’s acquisition regulation. The changes published this week, dated June 2024, ratchet up requirements to monitor […]
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Budget & Policy
Senate defense bill seeks GAO report on DNFSB
The Senate Armed Services Committee wants the Government Accountability Office to examine the culture and workings of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, according to a bill report the committee published this week. “Recent assessments from the National Academy of Public Administration and from the Office of the Inspector General for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
NNSA said GAO made ‘misleading’ conclusions about modernization programs
Integrating “only” government-wide practices will not help keep nuclear weapons infrastructure projects on time and on budget, the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration said in a letter published Tuesday. “We strongly believe that the incorporation of government best practices alone will not fundamentally change our ability to integrate the program and project cost […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Wrap up: Biden signs ADVANCE Act; Scientists say cancel Sentinel; LANL town hall; More
President Joe Biden (D) signed a bill into law this week to ease deployment domestically and internationally of U.S. nuclear reactors and technology. The Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act would reform the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s methods for issuing licenses and require the Department of Energy to study the global nuclear industry and tell […]