Vol. 30, No. 19 
House Energy and Water passes request for $27 billion for NNSA, less than White House
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Plutonium Pit Production
NNSA’s Williams expresses disappointment in SRPPF
WASHINGTON — Brandon Williams, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, said Wednesday the agency is rebidding the contract for Savannah River Site due to a “not acceptable” performance on the pit production program. “We are rebidding the contract because we agree with you that the timeline and the budget is not acceptable,” Williams said […]
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Stockpile Stewardship
Wright: ‘not a need for explosive testing,’ Williams says multidimensional problem
WASHINGTON — Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday the United States need not resume explosive nuclear testing, though he and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) head Brandon Williams acknowledged the president could choose to do so for reasons beyond technical necessity. Both officials’ answers were prompted by sharp questioning from Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) during […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
Graham criticizes DOE reprogramming of Savannah River funds to Los Alamos pit work
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) pressed Energy Secretary Chris Wright recently over the Department of Energy’s decision to redirect funding intended for the Savannah River Site to weapons production efforts at Los Alamos National Laboratory. During a Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development subcommittee hearing in late April, Graham said $149 million appropriated through reconciliation for […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
NNSA completes largest international HALEU shipment
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said last week it successfully transferred 1.7 metric tons of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) from Japan to the United States, reportedly the largest international transfer in the agency’s history. NNSA teamed up with Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, according to […]
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Interim Storage & Waste Disposal
DOE needs long-term plan for test reactor’s spent fuel storage, GAO says
The Department of Energy’s Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) is in jeopardy of ceasing operations due to its aging facility and spent fuel storage nearing its capacity, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a May 7 report. The GAO recommended that DOE complete its evaluation of the Idaho Operations Office’s research and test reactor spent […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
Naval reactor office could save billions partnering with EM, but risk involved, GAO says
The Department of Energy’s Office of Naval Reactors could save billions of dollars and 15 years of cleanup time partnering with the Office of Environmental Management to clean up retired nuclear propulsion facilities, says the Government Accountability Office (GAO). A report from the agency last week said the Office of Naval Reactors, which is responsible […]
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Innovation & Infrastructure
High Explosives Facility completed at Pantex
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recently completed construction at the Pantex Plant’s High Explosives Science and Engineering facility, consolidating 15 Manhattan Project-era facilities, the agency said last week. “The new High Explosives Science and Engineering facility is a landmark achievement, setting an unprecedented standard for high explosives research and development crucial to national security,” […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Air Force examining government-owned technical data library for B-2
Under an Air Force initiative for the service’s B-2 Spirit stealth bomber by Northrop Grumman, the service would create a government-owned technical data library through reverse engineering and data rights acquisition. This news comes from a Thursday business notice from the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center bomber directorate’s contracting office at Tinker Air Force […]
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International
Post ceasefire, Russia tests nuclear ballistic missile that could deploy in 2026
Russia said Tuesday it successfully tested a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile and plans to field the weapon later this year, a move that came as ceasefire efforts in Ukraine appeared increasingly strained. The country had carried out a successful test of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, according to comments made during a meeting with Strategic […]
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Transuranic Waste
Idaho makes first remote-handled TRU shipment to WIPP in years
The Department of Energy said Tuesday the Idaho National Laboratory recently made its first shipment of remote-handled transuranic (TRU) waste to DOE’s underground disposal site in New Mexico for the first time since 2014. Workers from Amentum-led contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition made the remote-handled transuranic waste shipment on April 21, according to DOE. The shipments […]
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Budget & Policy
DNFSB touts revamped public website
The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has unveiled a new public website that should be easier to use. “This update is part of a broader effort to improve transparency and accessibility for Congress, stakeholders, and the public—and to make it easier to quickly find our work, understand current issues, and navigate key materials across […]
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National Laboratories
Wrap up: Ted Wyka retiring in June; DeLauro statement on JCPOA exit anniversary; Smith visits Newport News Shipbuilding; more
Ted Wyka, the manager at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Los Alamos Field Office, is retiring at the end of June, sources told the Exchange Monitor at a hearing in Santa Fe, N.M. Prior to his manager role, Wyka was NNSA’s principal deputy associate administrator for safety, infrastructure and operations, and NNSA’s cognizant secretarial officer […]