Vol. 29, No. 41 
As STRATCOM nominee testifies, Trump said start testing nukes “equal” with Russia, China
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Budget & Policy
Contractor group says NNSA contractors have 2-4 weeks of funding left
The Professional Services Council (PSC), a trade association representing 400 federal contractors, wrote a letter Oct. 28 to Congressional leaders mourning the federal government shutdown, citing its effect on the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) among other agencies. The letter, obtained by the Exchange Monitor, was addressed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Senate […]
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Budget & Policy
House Dems “urgently demand” end to furloughs as labs send workers home
House lawmakers condemned the furloughs of 1,400 of DOE’s semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) workers in a letter to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and NNSA administrator Brandon Williams. “As Secretary Wright noted in his press availability in Las Vegas, furloughing NNSA employees has never happened before. Government shutdowns, however, have occurred throughout the […]
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National Laboratories
NNSA partners with HPE and NVIDIA for two new supercomputers
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced Tuesday its Los Alamos National Laboratory selected tech companies Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and NVIDIA to develop and deploy two new supercomputers. The two computers, named “Mission” and “Vision,” will be used for modeling and simulations at the lab. “Mission” will be used to assist NNSA research without […]
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Budget & Policy
Federal judge in California again holds up potential federal layoffs
A federal judge in Northern California has extended her earlier order that temporarily blocked the White House Office of Management and Budget from furloughing thousands of government employees, including many from the Department of Energy, during the shutdown, according to published reports. News outlets, including CNBC reported U.S. District Judge Susan Illston was issuing a […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
BWXT announces naval nuclear propulsion contract worth $174 million
BWX Technologies (BWXT) announced Thursday it was awarded a $174 million contract in September to manufacture naval nuclear reactor fuel. The Lynchburg, Va.-based company’s subsidiary, Nuclear Fuel Services in Erwin, Tenn. will manufacture and deliver fuel for the Naval Reactors program. Work on the project has already begun with a completion target of summer 2026. […]
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National Laboratories
Los Alamos County approves gross receipt tax increase, LANL director disapproves
Thom Mason, director of Los Alamos National Laboratory, said last week a County Council vote to raise the gross receipts tax to close a budget shortfall would hinder economic growth. The Los Alamos County Council voted 6-1 Tuesday night to increase the gross receipts tax (GRT) in Los Alamos by 0.625%, effective July 1, 2026, […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Air Force personnel to show industry reps B-52H equipment to be modified for LRSO
Next month, Air Force personnel from the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AFB), Ariz. in the Sonoran Desert plan to show industry representatives examples of B-52H carriage equipment. This will be equipment that the service is looking to modify for the future AGM-181 Long Range Standoff (LRSO) nuclear […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
General Dynamics posts strong third quarter results on shipbuilding
General Dynamics (GD) last Friday reported strong third quarter financial results largely due to its Marine Systems segment, continuing a sturdy run of top and bottom-line gains all year. The shipbuilding segment, up 14% and 13% respectively on the top and bottom-lines, benefited from construction of the Navy’s Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine and Virginia-class attack […]
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National Laboratories
DNFSB urges more LANL safety, voices concern over Y-12 in NNSA welcome letter
The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) hopes Brandon Williams, the newly confirmed administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, will prioritize a list of safety challenges that the board wrote him about last month. “Congratulations on your confirmation as Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)!” the nation’s nuclear safety watchdog started its […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Wrap up: Former Secretary of Army new NTI president; SRS not affected by shutdown; East Tennessee spot for new nuclear hub; more
Christine Wormuth, most recently the Secretary of the Army, will be the Washington-based nonprofit Nuclear Threat Initiative’s (NTI) newest president and third chief executive officer effective Nov. 17, the organization announced last week. “NTI’s mission to reduce global nuclear, biological, and emerging technology threats is more vital than ever,” Wormuth said in NTI’s release, adding […]