Vol. 30, No. 24 
Pappano: NNSA must modernize faster, but funding remains biggest risk
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Plutonium Pit Production
Davis highlights productivity gains at PF-4 through reduced administrative burdens
Efforts to reduce administrative burdens and streamline operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory’s PF-4 plutonium facility have increased the amount of time the facility is available for production work, according to Mark Davis, deputy laboratory director for operations. Speaking Wednesday at a webinar by the Energy Facility Contractors Group about workplace efficiency initiatives, Davis said […]
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Budget & Policy
Amid exit litigation, Frank Rose says NNSA should not be under DOE
Former senior National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) official Frank Rose said in a podcast the agency may require structural reforms to meet mounting mission demands. Formerly NNSA’s principal deputy administrator during the Joe Biden era, Rose’s public comments on the nuclear enterprise are some of his most detailed since his 2024 departure amid legal disputes […]
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Budget & Policy
Fleischmann expects House vote on appropriations bill next week
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) expects the full House of Representatives to take up the fiscal 2027 Energy & Water Development appropriations bill next week. “We will go to the floor next week.” Fleischmann told the annual meeting of the Energy Facility Contractors Group (EFCOG) Wednesday in Washington, D.C. The lawmaker, whose district adjoins the Department […]
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Budget & Policy
SASC releases version of fiscal 2027 NDAA
The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) released its version of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would authorize $32.31 billion in spending for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). SASC marked up its version of the must-pass defense policy bill last week, and it has advanced to the Senate floor now. The […]
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International
Iran peace deal would end fighting, but nuclear details still uncertain
The United States and Iran reached a deal to end the U.S. military campaign in Iran and open the Strait of Hormuz, according to Pakistan’s prime minister, but the questions still remain on Iran’s nuclear program. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a mediator between the two parties, told media outlets over the weekend that both […]
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International
Senators demand congressional review in Iran nuclear negotiations
Senators from both parties are pressing the Donald Trump administration to submit any future agreement with Iran, and any provisions addressing Tehran’s nuclear program, for congressional review. Lawmakers returned to Washington this week seeking details about a preliminary memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran that Trump said would help end hostilities and […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
U.S. Navy to set up naval support in Western Australia as part of AUKUS
The U.S. Navy has started early work to establish a new naval support activity (NSA) in Perth, Western Australia, as of May 30 as part of the AUKUS trilateral partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Navy said NSA Stirling is due to provide support services and programs for service members, […]
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Stockpile Stewardship
Lawrence Livermore deploys Lynx supercomputer for stockpile stewardship
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California has entered production for the Lynx supercomputing cluster, a new high-performance computing system designed to support nuclear weapons simulations and other key national security workloads. The system is part of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Commodity Technology Systems-2 program, an effort to provide advanced computing resources across the […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
U.S., other powers increased spending on nuclear weapons in 2025, ICAN report finds
Global spending on nuclear weapons reached a record $118.8 billion in 2025, driven largely by increased U.S. investments in nuclear modernization programs, according to a report by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). The report released this week estimates the United States spent $69.2 billion on nuclear weapons activities last year, accounting for […]
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International
IAEA-brokered ceasefire allows restoration of ZNPP backup power line
The Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant was reconnected to external power June 13 after repairs to a damaged backup transmission line were completed under a localized ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the agency said on X. The plant lost connection to its 330-kilovolt Ferosplavna backup power line late June 11 due to […]
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Transuranic Waste
Hoist problems suspend WIPP shipments until August
Underground operations at the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico are being suspended until probably mid-August, DOE told the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) this week. WIPP, the nation’s only deep disposal site for defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste, is pausing underground emplacement while it repairs a pair of hoists. In […]
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Transuranic Waste
WIPP waste shipments cut short due to shutdown
Transuranic (TRU) waste shipments to the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, N.M. were cut short in May, after issues with both of the facility’s hoists led to a temporary shutdown. Prior to the shutdown, WIPP received 23 TRU waste shipments in May, according to the facility’s receipt database. By comparison, […]
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Budget & Policy
Wrap up: Eleven candidates step up to replace Newhouse; Construction company starts SRPPF warehouse; DNFSB reports on Savannah River Site; more
Eleven candidates, including multiple Republicans have filed paperwork with Washington state election officials to compete in an Aug. 4 primary to help select a successor to incumbent Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) in the state’s 4th congressional district. The Central Washington district, with a history of supporting Republicans, includes the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site. Newhouse, […]