Vol. 29, No. 21 
Public ‘deeply concerned’ about pit impact, NNSA gives timeline for EIS
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Trump order: Advanced reactors for military purposes can be NEPA-exempt
In an aim to use nuclear energy technology for defense-related purposes, President Donald Trump’s May 23 executive order wants advanced nuclear reactors put on military installations without consulting the National Environmental Policy Act. Trump’s executive order entitled “Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security,” one of four nuclear-themed executive orders released last week, said […]
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International
Kremlin says Golden Dome could lead to U.S.-Russia nuclear arms control
A Kremlin spokesperson said last week that President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome plan could force both Washington and Moscow to resume nuclear arms control talks, media reported. “In the foreseeable future, the very course of events requires the resumption of contacts on issues of strategic stability,” Dmitry Peskov told Reuters. Trump and Secretary of Defense […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
Savannah River prime starts glovebox fabrication for pits
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the Fluor-led prime contractor at Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C., said this week crews have started constructing gloveboxes to make the explosive fissile cores of nuclear weapons. “Gloveboxes will be a key component of pit production operations within the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility (SRPPF),” Dennis Carr, CEO of Savannah […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
Executive order halts surplus plutonium disposal; exempts South Carolina
One of President Donald Trump’s May 23 executive orders instructs the secretary of energy to replace the surplus plutonium dilute and dispose program with one to process excess plutonium for fuel for advanced nuclear technologies. Trump’s executive order entitled “Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base,” one of four nuclear-themed executive orders released last week, said the […]
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Warhead & Weapons Development
NNSA ‘on track’ with W88, to reach production milestone ‘relatively soon’
The National Nuclear Security Administration is “on track” with its W88 warhead, the agency’s acting principal deputy administrator said in a Senate panel last week. “We’re on track with the W88, which is to achieve first production unit relatively soon,” James McConnell, the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) acting principal deputy administrator, told the Senate […]
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International
Spoils of war? Despite protests, Russia connecting Zaporizhzhia plant to its grid
Ukraine has protested to the International Atomic Energy Agency about Russia’s building power lines from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to Russia’s main power grid, a Kyiv official told a Ukrainian news agency. Yuri Vitrenko, the permanent representative of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna, told the news outlet Wednesday that Kyiv sent a […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Bussiere: USAF bomber fleet availability ‘in the 50s’
The percentage of U.S. Air Force bombers available for missions is in the 50s—a trend consistent with service-wide aircraft availability statistics, Gen. Thomas Bussiere, the head of Air Force Global Strike Command, said last week. Such availability takes into account aircraft in depot, while mission capability rates are typically higher, as they do not count […]
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International
Wrap up: Fifth Iran talk ‘constructive’; Trump EO includes nuclear-supported data center; SASC member will not seek reelection
A state department spokesperson said Tuesday that the fifth round of talks in Rome between the U.S. and Iran May 23 on a nuclear deal was “constructive.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi still maintains there is “no room for compromise” on keeping enrichment in Iran, he told Iranian state media after the fourth round of […]