Publications: Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor

The commander of Naval Submarine Forces last week argued it is “critically important” the government continues supporting the SSN(X) next generation nuclear-powered attack submarine program to maintain its advantage over China. “The Virginia-class submarine is highly capable, it is by far the most capable nuclear attack submarine that’s ever existed in the world,” Vice Admiral […]

Centrus Energy has announced multiple partnerships this week aiming to increase its fuel capacities and activities at its uranium enrichment facility in Piketon, Ohio. Centrus and Oklo agreed on Monday to seek a joint venture focused on deconversion services for high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) and advancing fuel-cycle technologies in Ohio. The company then agreed to […]

The Air Force broke ground Feb. 13 on a prototype silo for the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel future intercontinental ballistic missile at the company’s Promontory, Utah, site, officials said at the Air & Space Forces Association’s warfare symposium. The prototype is to allow engineers to test and refine modern construction techniques, validating the new silo […]

President Donald Trump announced early Saturday Feb. 28 the U.S. military and Israel began joint “major combat operations” in Iran with the objective of “eliminating imminent threats” from the regime. The following day the Pentagon reported Iran’s supreme leader had been killed. “They [Iran] rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t […]

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) on Friday Feb. 27 released the highly anticipated request for proposals (RFP) for management and operations (M&O) of the Savannah River Site. The RFP is for a standalone performance-based contract, according to NNSA’s press release on the RFP. The base contract period would be five years, […]

The U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran, in reaction to what President Donald Trump said was fear of Iran developing a nuclear weapon, has led to a variety of mixed responses from hawks and doves alike. Early Saturday morning, Trump said in a filmed speech on social media that the U.S. military, gathered on […]

Cumulative cost and schedule overruns have increased since 2023 for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) portfolio of major projects in the execution phase, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). As of June 2025, the NNSA’s portfolio’s cumulative cost overrun has increased from $2.1 billion in 2023 to $4.8 billion, the […]

Nicole Nelson-Jean, formerly the associate administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Office of Infrastructure, is now the principal associate administrator of NNSA’s Office of Environment, Safety and Health, according to her LinkedIn profile. A source told the Exchange Monitor Nelson-Jean will be deputy to Ahmad Al-Daouk, the associate administrator for the office.  Nelson-Jean’s […]

President Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to “immediately cease” working with technology from artificial intelligence (AI) firm Anthropic, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has designated the company a “supply chain risk.” The Pentagon last July awarded Anthropic along with Google, OpenAI and xAI deals each worth up to $200 million to leverage their generative […]

Navy Vice Admiral Richard Seif relieved Vice Admiral Robert Gaucher as commander of Submarine Forces and Submarine Force Atlantic during a change of command ceremony Feb. 20 as the latter gets ready to become a new submarine leader. In January, the Senate confirmed Gaucher to become the first direct reporting portfolio manager for submarines, overseeing […]

The latest Air Force Minuteman III test on Tuesday featured multiple unarmed re-entry vehicles,according to the Air Force Global Strike Command said Wednesday. Air Force Global Strike Command’s (AFGSC) launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., of the Glory Trip 255 test at 11:01 p.m. Pacific time on Tuesday included “two test re-entry vehicles,” AFGSC […]

Texas, home to commercial and government nuclear facilities, must wait until May to learn what Republican will square off against upstart Democrat James Talarico in November’s U.S. Senate election. Longtime GOP incumbent Sen. John Cornyn appears to have edged out state Attorney General Ken Paxton and finished far ahead of Rep. Wesley Hunt in Tuesday’s […]

Senate Armed Services Committee leadership on Tuesday criticized the Trump administration’s new National Defense Strategy, including for its absence of stance on nuclear weapons, and pressed Elbridge Colby, undersecretary of defense for policy, to explain the document’s priorities. “Previous National Defense Strategies, authored by both Republican and Democratic administrations, have been sober, analytical assessments of […]

David Beck, deputy administrator for Defense Programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), sent a memo Feb. 11 outlining “transformation objectives” for nuclear weapons at the agency. The memo was sent to the DOE’s semi-autonomous agency’s laboratories, contractors and senior officials. It lists objectives considered “achievable” by the end of calendar year 2028, and […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) on Feb. 12 opened the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation (CAMINO) with Kansas City National Security Campus and Sandia National Laboratories, according to a press release by Sandia. The CAMINO facility is located at Science and Technology Park outside Kirtland Air Force Base. The facility is meant to […]

After the State Department publicly revealed China secretly conducted an explosive nuclear test in 2020, despite a self-imposed ban from 1996, intelligence agencies are saying China’s purpose is to completely transform the country’s nuclear arsenal, according to CNN. The Feb. 21 article said sources familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments said the nuclear test could mean […]

Earnings rose, though government operations fell, at BWX Technologies (BWXT), Lynchburg, Va., in the fourth quarter, which the company attributed to naval propulsion and commercial nuclear power awards. Net earnings for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31 were $93 million, or $1.01 a share, up from $71 million, or $0.92 a share, in the year-ago […]

The Air Force faces software design challenges for Northrop Grumman’s future LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). “Sentinel is software-intensive, and development progress remains slower than anticipated,” the new GAO two-page ‘national security snapshot‘ on Sentinel said. “These delays have raised concerns from program officials about the prime […]

The Australian government is heralding an investment of $2.75 billion to start building a new submarine construction yard in Osborne, South Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government expects the overall submarine program will create almost 10,000 jobs in the region and project investments reaching upwards of $21 billion total over the next decades to build […]

The Pentagon will now look to spend over $150 billion in reconciliation funds this fiscal year, submitting a plan to Congress outlining efforts to advance the Golden Dome missile defense project and other nuclear activities. The plan represents a large increase from the $113 billion in reconciliation funds the Donald Trump administration had originally projected […]

The Pentagon’s $150.5 billion in fiscal 2026 reconciliation funding has $4.5 billion to accelerate production of the Air Force B-21 Raider stealth bomber, Northrop Grumman said Monday at the Air & Space Forces Association annual warfare symposium. The Air Force’s plans have called for 100 B-21s, yet that number might increase to 145 or more, […]

Rolls-Royce said Tuesday that it has completed altitude and operability testing for the company’s F130 engine as part of the U.S. Air Force’s Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP) modernization for the B-52. The announcement comes as the Air & Space Forces Association holds its annual symposium in Aurora, Colo. Under CERP, the more powerful F130s […]

In the 2026 State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Donald Trump mentioned 2025’s Operation Midnight Hammer attacks against Iran and vaguely alluded to negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program. “My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,” Trump said while addressing Congress. “But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s […]

A long-running lawsuit brought by an employee over implementation of a federal contractor’s COVID-19 vaccination policy at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee has ended just months before a planned jury trial. A Jan. 30 filing with the federal district court in Knoxville, Tenn., indicate plaintiff Jeff Bilyeu and employer UT-Battelle, which runs Oak […]

President Donald Trump, while recounting the strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, reportedly contemplated the possibility of another military strike on Tehran at his Board of Peace meeting in Washington this week. “[The U.S.] may have to take it a step further or we may not. You will be finding out over the next […]

The Defense Department and Leidos are negotiating framework agreements for co-investments in key acquisition programs for the company, Leidos CEO Tom Bell said on Tuesday. The forthcoming co-investment opportunities are in areas where Leidos has already increased capital expenditures, and internal research and development spending over the past three years, Bell said during the company’s […]

The Navy’s first Columbia-class submarine is back on schedule to deliver by 2028, nine months ahead of schedule, the program executive officer (PEO) for Strategic Submarines said Feb. 11. This program update comes after the Navy and industry implemented an acceleration plan that put all the modules to the final assembly shipyard by the end […]