Publications: Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor

Three large Lithium-Ion batteries from the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), near Carlsbad, N.M., are being shipped to Pittsburgh where government researchers will study potential mine-fire risks. DOE and WIPP prime Salado Isolation Mining Contractors have reached an Inter-Agency Agreement with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The batteries […]

An evening fire that led the Department of Energy to declare an emergency at the Savannah River National Laboratory near Aiken, S.C., was extinguished and the emergency alert lifted shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday, DOE said. The emergency alert was terminated at 9;45 p.m,, DOE said Wednesday night. There were no detectable levels of contamination, […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) federal workforce fell nearly 12% as the agency’s workload reached its highest level since the Cold War, according to a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. NNSA’s federal workforce declined by 236 employees, from 1,991 in the first quarter of fiscal 2025 to 1,755 in the second quarter of […]

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the joint prime contractor for Savannah River Site, is expanding research and development investments at the Savannah River Site with aims to accelerate technology development supporting the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) missions. SRNS’ Office of Innovation is directing research investments across the site and coordinating work with national laboratories, […]

Fluor Marine Propulsion has received a $2.4 billion contract modification for work supporting the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory, according to the Defense Department. The $2.409 billion cost-plus-fixed-fee modification, awarded Sept. 24 and announced by the Pentagon Oct. 23, modifies previously awarded contract N0002418C2130. The work will support Naval Nuclear Propulsion […]

Fairbanks Morse Defense last week broke ground on a $60 million manufacturing facility that will increase production on Virginia-class naval propulsion components funded in part from international AUKUS funds. The company on Oct. 20 broke ground on the third Center of Excellence at the existing Bird-Johnson Propeller Company facility in Pascagoula, Miss., which it said […]

The Pentagon said Monday it picked the USS Colorado (SSN-788) to be the first U.S. Navy Virginia-class attack submarine assigned to Submarine Rotation Force West (SRF-West), marking the next step in the AUKUS submarine process, starting in late 2027. SRF-West aims to help Australia prepare to ultimately operate, maintain and support its own nuclear-powered and […]

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The National Nuclear Security Administration expects to release a draft request for quotations (RFQ) for its Technical and Engineering Program Support 4 contract, or TEST 4, in January 2027, with the agency targeting contract performance beginning later that year. B.J. Quigley, NNSA’s senior procurement executive, said at the Energy Technology and Environmental […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has finalized the rule to create a more uniform regulatory pathway for commercializing Department of Energy and Pentagon-approved reactor designs.  Originally proposed in April, the final rule is designed to allow NRC to leverage other agencies’ data and information regarding the reactor designs in its own regulatory review process. The rule […]

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) told federal contractors and industry members here that he still expects the Energy and Water Development bill for fiscal 2027 to pass before Dec. 11. Fleischmann, who wrote the most recent energy and water appropriations bill, doubled down on his predicted passage of the bill Wednesday after he […]

BWX Technologies’ (BWXT) subsidiary, BWXT Advanced Fuels, will supply tri-structural – or TRISO – fuel to Antares Nuclear under a new multi-year agreement, the companies said Tuesday. Under this contract, BWXT will provide an initial supply of one metric ton of uranium of TRISO fuel to Antares. If Antares reactor deployment continues to grow, then […]

KNOXVILLE, TENN. — The Department of Energy’s Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management (EM) Tim Walsh said here Wednesday the nuclear cleanup branch is drawing closer to a deal with New Mexico over state permit modifications for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, N.M. “So, we completed our mediation and it’s just with our […]

Parsons Corp. Chief Financial Officer Matt Ofilos will resign Nov. 6 to pursue another professional opportunity, with former CFO George Ball returning on an interim basis as the company searches for a permanent successor. Ofilos’ resignation is not related to any disagreement with Parsons over the company’s operations, policies or practices, the company said Oct. […]

The Department of Energy’s disposal site for defense-related transuranic waste narrowly avoided two accidents in August, according to a September staff report from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB). There were two separate “near miss” episodes, one on Aug. 3 and one on Aug. 6, at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), according to […]

William & Mary is expanding its role in the AUKUS submarine partnership as the university works to build a pipeline of talent and strengthen the allied submarine industrial base.  The university, designated the U.S. academic home for an AUKUS Center of Excellence, signed a five-year agreement with Adelaide University this summer and received grants to […]

The United States Navy selected El Segundo, Calif.-based Radiant Nuclear’s microreactor technology to power Naval Weapons Station in Crane, Ind., the company said Tuesday. The Navy previously announced in September that Naval Weapons Station in Crane would be the service’s first naval microreactor installation. Radiant will work with the Navy, Army, Defense Innovation Unit, Nuclear […]

Centrus Energy acquired one of its manufacturing suppliers, Westernman Holdings, in a transaction for nearly $116 million, Centrus said Monday. The near-$116 million acquisition was made up of a combination of $95 million cash that was on hand and $21 million of equity, Centrus said in its press release. Additionally, Westernman and all its business […]

Northrop Grumman on Tuesday posted higher sales and net income in its third quarter driven by top-line gains across its businesses and bottom-line increases in three of them. Net income rose 2% to just over $1.12 billion, $7.89 earnings per share (EPS), from $1.1 billion (7.67 EPS) a year ago, handily beating consensus estimates of […]

The Army has begun site planning for three nuclear microreactors at Fort Benning, Ga., as an early step toward deploying the systems under its Janus energy resilience program. Fort Benning hosted an initial Janus Program site visit Oct. 16 with Army planners, officials from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has set a $23.5 billion performance baseline for the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility’s (SRPPF) main processing building, with completion now estimated for December 2038, the agency told Exchange Monitor Monday. The estimate covers the main processing building at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, where NNSA plans […]

Mike Petters, a former CEO of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), is returning to the company’s board of directors as the shipbuilder says its working to expand capacity to meet growing U.S. Navy demand. HII announced Oct. 20 that Petters, who served as the company’s first president and CEO, has been elected to its board. Petters […]

North Korea is continuing to expand its nuclear arsenal and missile capabilities, including efforts to field more advanced and survivable systems, according to a new Congressional Research Service (CRS) report. The Oct. 13 CRS update says Pyongyang is pursuing a broader range of nuclear-capable delivery systems while expanding production of the fissile material needed to […]

The Navy earlier this month issued a new sources sought notice conducting market research to identify shipyard vendors capable of being prime construction yards for the next-generation attack submarine, or SSN(X), program. While the notice, due Oct. 15, sought sources able to act as prime builders in the next submarine that will succeed the Virginia-class […]

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration has authorized full construction of the pit production facility’s main processing building at the Savannah River Site, the agency said Oct. 16.  DOE approved the performance baseline for the Savannah River Pit Production Facility’s Main Processing Building on Oct. 15, the department said in a news release. […]

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week the Trump administration plans to continue its push for at least $350 billion, “potentially more,” in defense funds via the reconciliation process “regardless of what happens in the midterms.”  Hegseth’s doubling down on the push for a $1.5 trillion fiscal 2027 defense topline, to include the $350 billion […]

Exchange Monitor is modernizing its web footprint and rebranding some newsletters to better reflect the markets we serve and the beats we cover. ExchangeMonitor.com is still the online home for the news and analysis you have come to rely upon over the years. Only now it has a dramatically better search ability and functionality. Exchange […]

With less than three weeks to go before the Nov. 3 general election, here is a look at some of the key House of Representatives and Senate races around Department of Energy nuclear weapons sites. The sites and races are listed alphabetically.  Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California: Rep. Lateefah Simon (D) is seeking re-election […]

Golden Dome could strengthen U.S. nuclear deterrence by protecting elements of the nuclear triad and other strategic infrastructure from conventional and nuclear missile attacks, panelists said this week. The discussion, hosted Tuesday by the Advanced Nuclear Weapons Alliance Deterrence Center, comes as U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) examines the strategic implications of Golden Dome. Patrycja Bazylczyk […]