Publications: Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor

CB&I AREVA MOX Services, the contractor managing construction of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility near Aiken, S.C., said in a new letter to the National Nuclear Security Administration that the agency is attempting to terminate the project through a campaign of consistent obstruction. NS&D Monitor obtained the March 8 letter, a response to the […]

Until he joined the newly spun-off BWX Technologies in late 2015 as chief operating officer, former NASA hand Rex Geveden hadn’t had much to do with nuclear anything since supporting fast-breeder reactor research during his student days at the Argonne National Laboratory. That’s the sort of resume gap that was never likely to fly under […]

A group of Democratic senators sent a letter Tuesday to the secretaries of defense and energy to express their opposition to recent recommendations made by the Defense Science Board on low-yield nuclear weapons and full-scale nuclear testing. The letter, penned by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and 12 other lawmakers, highlights a December report by the independent […]

The Trump administration’s budget outline for 2018 proposes an 11 percent funding increase for the National Nuclear Security Administration while cutting overall funding for the Department of Energy. The White House released the budget blueprint Thursday, requesting $28 billion for DOE, down $1.7 billion or 5.6 percent from its 2017 annualized level under the continuing […]

Motor carriers of radioactive sources are not directly inspected for compliance with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s security requirements, the Government Accountability Office found in a report released last week. Radioactive sources, used worldwide for medical, industrial, research, and other applications, are vulnerable to theft by groups seeking to create radiological “dirty bombs,” or devices that […]

South Carolina and the federal government are in talks on a potential settlement for a lawsuit in which the state alleged the government breached an agreement by not processing plutonium through the Savannah River Site’s Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson in February 2016 sued the Energy Department, then-Energy Secretary […]

Marc Selinger Defense Daily The U.S. Navy loaded the first two life-extended Trident II D-5 ballistic missiles on an Ohio-class submarine last month, a service official said March 8. The event was a “significant milestone” for the nuclear-armed missile, said Adm. Bill Moran, vice chief of naval operations, who testified before the House Armed Services […]

Members of the Defense Science Board suggested Thursday that the United States keep its options open for someday enhancing the mission of the nuclear enterprise with activities including design competitions, resumed nuclear testing, and lower-yield warheads. The Defense Science Board is an independent expert advisory committee for the secretary of defense that currently has 46 […]

There is no more room to delay construction and deployment of the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine if the United States is to maintain a continually viable sea-based nuclear deterrent, the former head of the program said last week. The U.S. Navy’s current fleet of 14 Ohio-class submarines will begin to retire about a decade from […]

The vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed Wednesday that Russia has deployed a land-based cruise missile in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and that the Pentagon’s upcoming Nuclear Posture Review will cover options for a U.S. response. Air Force Gen. Paul Selva said at a House Armed Services […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission lauded CB&I AREVA MOX Services, which is building the embattled Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility in South Carolina, for its construction program and oversight in an assessment of the contractor’s construction activities and safety performance during 2016. The regulatory body said in a March 2 letter to CB&I AREVA MOX Services that the […]

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on Wednesday introduced legislation that would limit funding for the Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) nuclear cruise missile, a controversial weapon intended to replace the aging air-launched cruise missile. Democrats in Congress say the missile, expected to cost roughly $20 billion to $30 billion over 20 years for approximately 1,000 missiles, would increase […]

The International Atomic Energy Agency is finalizing its nuclear security plan for the next four years, Director General Yukiya Amano said Monday at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting being held all week in Vienna, Austria. The Board of Governors, one of the agency’s policy-making bodies, meets five times per year to develop recommendations on […]

The House of Representatives approved Wednesday a $577.9 defense appropriations billion for fiscal 2017 by a vote of 233-185, with three Republicans against the legislation and five Democrats in favor. The House Appropriations Committee last week introduced the bill, which funds the Defense Department at a level $5.2 billion higher than the fiscal 2016 enacted […]

Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of quarterly news summaries and analyses about President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office. We’ll check in with one long, big-picture update every 25 days, with a regular flow of updates in between to keep you up on news affecting the U.S. nuclear deterrent during […]

The contractor building the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility received less than 9 percent of its possible award fee in its latest performance evaluation, along with a stinging rebuke from the Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The NNSA on Feb. 21 released to Savannah River Site Watch its fiscal 2016 performance evaluation report and […]

The absence of senior leadership at the Trump administration’s Cabinet agencies threatens to leave contractors without clear policy direction on matters including the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons and cleanup complexes, executives said Tuesday. There is no imminent end in sight to this dilemma, they acknowledged. Panelists at the ExchangeMonitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit spoke two […]

Marc Selinger Defense Daily The U.S. Navy and General Dynamics Electric Boat may soon wrap up negotiations on the detail design contract for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, an industry official said March 1. “We expect to continue [the negotiations] for the next month or so and get to the point where we reach an agreement,” said […]

The Senate on Thursday confirmed James Richard “Rick” Perry as U.S. secretary of energy, installing the former Texas governor to the government’s top nuclear weapons, waste, and energy post after an uncontroversial 62-37 vote. Every Senate Republican and 10 Democrats voted for Perry. All 37 “no” votes were from Democratic senators, plus Vermont independent Sen. […]

One of two men accused of stealing more than $4 million from the federal government while working for the Savannah River Site’s MOX program could face up to five years in prison after entering into a plea agreement on Friday. Meanwhile, the other suspect has waived his right to a speedy trial and wants the […]

Thom Mason will leave his post as director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee on July 1 to join Battelle as a senior executive, the Department of Energy site announced last Friday. Mason, a physicist who has served for a decade as ORNL director, is set to become senior vice president for laboratory […]

Linton Brooks, a career naval officer and former head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, on Wednesday received the Johnny Foster Lifetime Achievement Award at the ExchangeMonitor’s 2017 Nuclear Deterrence Summit. The award, named in honor of the longtime Energy and Defense departments hand who directed the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the 1960s, recognizes […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration on Tuesday approved Critical Decision (CD)-4 for the High Explosives Pressing Facility (HEPF) at the Pantex Plant, NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz said Wednesday at the ExchangeMonitor’s annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit in Washington, D.C. CD-4 indicates readiness to operate the facility, following the construction phase. The agency in 2011 began building the […]

The second round of bidding for the Nevada National Security Site management and operations contract appears to be in its final stages, executives with one of the competing companies said Tuesday. Leidos resubmitted a proposal after the previous contract award to a newly acquired business segment was rescinded last year, according to Elizabeth Porter, senior vice president […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s work may be hindered by a congressionally mandated cap on federal employees, a former agency official said Wednesday. Madelyn Creedon, who served as the agency’s principal deputy administrator from 2014 to Jan. 20, noted that Congress directed a cap of 1,690 federal employees for the NNSA, excluding the offices of […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s cybersecurity program is stable, improving, and has not faced any major incidents in recent years, the agency’s chief information officer told NS&D Monitor this week. The cyber program is “very strong,” both at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., and at each of its sites around the country, Wayne Jones, […]

President Donald Trump’s apparent preference for U.S. nuclear might over stockpile reductions does not necessarily preclude the United States and Russia from reaching a deal to extend the New START accord – or even sealing an all-new arms control plan, experts said. During his campaign and in the early weeks of his presidency, Trump has […]