Publications: Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) plans to move forward with a sole-source award for a mobile counter-drone capability, according to a recently posted notice on a procurement website.  The notice, called a Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition, NNSA said NOMAD Global Communication Solution, an engineering and manufacturing company is the only […]

The first phase of relocating Department of Energy’s headquarters staff to a new location in Washington, D.C., could get started by the end of 2026, although it might not be finished until early 2028, a source said this week. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright told a staff town hall-style meeting Wednesday April 1 the department […]

Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) is urging the Donald Trump administration to pursue near-term arms control steps with Russia while opening parallel, if incremental, discussions with China – warning a treaty lapse risks accelerating a destabilizing nuclear competition. Signed in 2010 by then U.S. and Russian Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, the New Strategic Arms […]

While President Donald Trump has not officially signed a civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, the announcement by a State Department official that one is in the works got pushback in Congress. Thomas Dinanno, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, told both the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees that […]

Thomas Dinanno, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, said he has “not been in any discussions” where U.S. testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere has been under consideration. “We’re still assessing,” Dinanno said in testimony Tuesday to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We’ve made no decision specifically on how or what […]

The head of arms control for the State Department told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday that continued modernization, including 150 B-21s, will prod China to engage in arms control talks with the United States. “I think the president’s broad view, and he’s been extremely forward leaning on this, is he wants to see fewer […]

Over half of thefts involving nuclear and other radioactive material reported to the Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB) since 1993 occurred during authorized transport, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) database showed this week. More often than not, stolen radioactive material is not recovered, IAEA also said.  The ITDB is IAEA’s collection of illicit trafficking […]

Uranium production is ramping up at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS), with plans to produce nearly 23 metric tons of high-level uranium for fuel production and other purposes for the DOE nuclear complex. That was the message that the SRS Citizens Advisory Board heard Tuesday during the panel’s regular bimonthly meeting at […]

Hadrian Automation on March 20 announced a $2.4 billion public-private partnership with the Navy that will result in three artificial intelligence (AI)-powered factories, with its first facility focused on producing submarine parts within a year. The facilities are aimed at helping produce parts for the Navy’s maritime industrial base, according to a statement by Hadrian. […]

After a joint U.S.-Israel strike on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility early Friday March 20, Iran retaliated with a strike on a town near Israel’s secret nuclear facility, Negev, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency and major news outlets. Afterward, an international nuclear monitor said it has not identified any increase in offsite radiation following […]

The Navy last week awarded General Dynamics’ (GD) Electric Boat Corp. a $15.38 billion modification in more Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) work related to industrial base development support. This award covers additional Columbia-class submarine design, lead yard support and sustainment, “integrated enterprise plan initiatives for the class, and submarine industrial base supplier development […]

The Department of Energy’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) on Wednesday released its final site-wide environmental impact statement and its record of decision to implement an “expanded operations alternative” at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. “Expanded operations” means exactly what it sounds like: all activities at Los Alamos will continue as they […]

Adm. Richard Correll, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), said Thursday the Navy has a plan to extend the lifespan of the Ohio-class nuclear-powered submarines to “bridge” the gap as its replacement Columbia-class endures delays. Correll, in testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee on STRATCOM’s posture for fiscal 2027, was responding to a […]

Major construction has concluded on a key security modernization effort at the Y-12 National Security Complex, with federal officials emphasizing cost savings and operational efficiencies tied to a significantly smaller high-security footprint. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said the West End Protected Area Reduction (WEPAR) project achieved full beneficial occupancy on Feb. 24, marking […]

Christine Wormuth, chief executive officer of Washington think tank Nuclear Threat Initiative, said in a Thursday webinar a ground operation to seize Iran’s enriched uranium would be “extraordinarily complicated.” For the past couple of weeks, there have been reports the Donald Trump administration is considering deploying troops to secure the speculated 440 kilograms, or near […]

The Department of Energy is inviting teams from national laboratories, domestic industry, and universities to submit proposals as part of a $293-million requisition for application (RFA) being issued as part of the Genesis Mission. DOE said in a Tuesday press release it is inviting submissions for “The Genesis Mission: Transforming Science and Energy with AI […]

A projectile near Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant reactor “hit and destroyed” a structure 350 meters away Tuesday night, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency on X. “Although there was no damage to the reactor itself nor injuries to staff, any attack at or near nuclear power plants violates the seven indispensable pillars related […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration has released its fiscal 2025 Performance Evaluation Reports, with contractors across the nuclear security enterprise largely earning “Excellent” or “Very Good” ratings and award fees near or above 90%. The evaluations highlight strong execution of stockpile stewardship and modernization programs, while continuing to flag risks related to aging infrastructure, workforce […]

Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, demanded a report by the Pentagon summarizing total war costs of Operation Epic Fury, or the Donald Trump administration and Israel’s combat operations in Iran. “I will not support a blank check for this war of choice,” Reed said on the Senate floor […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration was to conduct low-altitude helicopter flights March 16 through March 19 over the Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Perry, Ohio, the agency said in an email last week. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission last July extended the operating license for the Vistra Corp. nuclear plant by 20 years.  The NNSA’s aerial […]

The United States should embrace a clear policy condemning military attacks on international  nuclear power plants, a senior think tank official said at a hearing Monday. Earlier this month the United States was one of only four countries that opposed a resolution for the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] Board of Governors that expressed concern […]

The Pentagon’s fiscal year 2027 budget request is coming “relatively soon,” a senior official said last week, saying it will outline a “generational investment in the joint force.” After last year’s delayed budget rollout that irked Congress, Jay Hurst III, the department’s acting comptroller, said the forthcoming request will offer a greater level of initial […]

Discussions continue about opening a second production line for the B-21, the U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) head said on Tuesday at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) strategic forces panel. Former STRATCOM commander Gen. Anthony Cotton has said the service needs around 145 Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider stealth bombers–at least 45 more […]

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the management and operating contractor at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Savannah River Site, established the Office of Innovation in September, the prime said in a press release Wednesday. The Office of Innovation will be a dedicated hub for research and technology at Savannah River Site and will craft a […]

The head of U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) acknowledged ongoing challenges with the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent replacement program, emphasizing the need to carefully balance testing demands with the realities of an aging legacy system. During a recent House Armed Services Committee hearing, Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) pressed STRATCOM Commander Adm. Richard Correll on how the […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States needs to reestablish a robust domestic uranium enrichment program in order to meet future nuclear goals, Department of Energy Assistant Secretary of Nuclear Energy Ted Garrish said here Thursday. “When I first came onboard, I recognized this really is the biggest risk to the nuclear industry,” Garrish said of […]

The Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, N.M., has completed an annual maintenance outage that started in January, while managers plan an even longer one next year.  The outage that ran from Jan. 5 through March 13 is finished and the underground disposal site for defense-related transuranic waste is once again […]