Publications: Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor

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 […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Army’s Janus nuclear power program could support the military’s broader energy resilience goals under the Donald Trump administration’s “Fortress America” initiative, though officials said the effort will encompass multiple energy technologies. “Fortress America” – which stands for Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply and Survivability – is a national […]

Mission Support and Test Services (MSTS), the management and operating contractor for the Nevada National Security Site, is seeking industry interest in drilling a 24-inch-diameter wellbore to a total vertical depth of 6,500 feet, according to a new federal contracting notice.  The Oct. 12 request for information and expression of interest seeks information from potential […]

The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup branch said Tuesday it has now reduced its inventory of depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) cylinders at the Portsmouth Site in Ohio by 20%. DOE’s Office of Environmental Management announced Tuesday its AtkinsRéalis-led contractor Mission Conversion Services Alliance (MCSA) has converted DUF6 from 4,500 cylinders at Portsmouth, into a safe […]

The Air Force tested an unarmed Mk21A reentry vehicle Oct. 9, launching it aboard a Minotaur I rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., as part of the vehicle’s development. The flight was an in-flight environmental test supporting development of the Mk21A, a new reentry vehicle that the Air Force plans to integrate onto a […]

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division has won a $56 million Navy contract to provide engineering and design support for the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine program, the company said Oct. 13. The contract includes an option that would increase its cumulative value to $91 million if exercised, HII said in a press release. AUKUS […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has awarded a nearly $3 million contract to renovate part of its Albuquerque headquarters into a secure space, according to a federal procurement notice. NNSA awarded QA Engineering $2.99 million Sept. 28 for design-build construction to renovate a limited area of the John A. Gordon Complex and convert it […]

General Dynamics (GD) on Wednesday announced Danny Deep will be the company’s next CEO effective Jan. 1, 2027, succeeding Phebe Novakovic, who has been the company’s top executive and chairman since January 2013. Deep has been president of GD since December 2025 and was elected to the company’s board in August. Novakovic will become executive […]

NATO proceeded this week with its annual nuclear deterrence exercise this week despite recent Russian warnings that it could use nuclear weapons if its territory, including Kaliningrad, comes under threat. The 10-day, now declassified Steadfast Noon exercise began Oct. 13 and is hosted by Italy, with aircraft from 17 North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries participating. […]

The U.S. and China are discussing reciprocal visits to each other’s nuclear facilities, a potential transparency measure as Washington raises concerns about Beijing’s nuclear activities. The Donald Trump administration has held talks with Chinese officials about allowing each country to visit nuclear facilities operated by the other, the Washington Times reported Oct. 8, citing U.S. […]

The Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico received 53 shipments of transuranic (TRU) waste in September, marking its highest total since April and putting a strong end to a challenging fiscal year.  The September total is significantly more than the 29 shipments of TRU waste sent in August, and the […]

Y-12 National Security Complex has powered up two furnaces at its Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) for the first time, marking a milestone in testing equipment intended to support the site’s nuclear security mission. The initial startup of sintering and microwave casting furnaces begins a testing program for the new facility, according to an Oct. 8 […]

Early delivery of equipment for a Savannah River Site (SRS) training facility is helping accelerate preparations for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) plutonium pit production mission, the agency said in a press release. NNSA Principal Deputy Administrator Scott Pappano visited SRS in September to review construction of the High-Fidelity Training and Operations Center (HFTOC), […]

BWX Technologies has received a contract worth approximately $189 million to manufacture nuclear reactor fuel for the U.S. Navy, the company said Oct. 1. The award calls for BWXT subsidiary Nuclear Fuel Services (NFS) in Erwin, Tenn., to manufacture and deliver fuel for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. Work is scheduled to be completed in […]

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has promoted Greg Ennis to senior vice president and chief financial officer of its Mission Technologies division, the company announced Oct. 2. Ennis will lead Mission Technologies’ financial organization and oversee accounting, financial reporting, financial planning and analysis, rates and budgets, and program cost control across the division, HII said. Ennis […]