Publications: Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 1/8/2016 An information technology initiative intended to provide the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) with network security, identity management, cloud-based computing, and collaboration capabilities is years behind schedule and millions of dollars over budget, the Department of Energy’s Inspector General’s Office (IG) found in an audit released last month. The NNSA began implementing […]

Congress was out and Washington was empty, but that didn’t stop news from breaking during our annual publication break. As chronicled in the Weapons Complex Morning Briefing, here are a few stories that we’ve been following.   LANS Contract Will Expire at Los Alamos Los Alamos National Security LLC, the partnership that has operated and […]

IN THE NNSA The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said late last month that its Asset Management Program (AMP) completed a pilot to replace and repair infrastructure at the Core Library and Data Center at Mercury, Nev. The $520,000 pilot replaced the roof and heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) system at the library, a “repository for […]

The NS&D Monitor is beginning its annual holiday break and will return to your inboxes on Friday, Jan. 8. The Weapons Complex Morning Briefing will be published Monday through Wednesday next week, and we will publish special bulletins should any major news break in the interim.

Valerie Insinna Defense Daily 12/18/2015 A group of seven Democratic senators on Tuesday called on the president to cancel the Air Force’s nuclear air-launched cruise missile program, the Long Range Standoff (LRSO) weapon. In a Dec. 14 letter, Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 12/18/2015 The state of South Carolina threatened to sue the federal government if the Department of Energy doesn’t pay $1 million a day to the state for missing a key deadline at the Savannah River Site’s Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF). The facility is a critical part of the nation’s […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 12/18/2015 South Carolina’s senators this week praised the new fiscal 2016 omnibus budget that calls for $340 million to continue construction of the Savannah River Site’s Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF). The facility is a key component of the MOX mission to convert 34 metric tons of weapon-usable plutonium into commercial […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 12/18/2015 While Consolidated Nuclear Security received a low performance score in its first 15 months on the job – 57 percent out of 100 – the operator of the Y-12 and Pantex plants earned $42.6 million in fees. CNS President and CEO Jim Haynes said the company wasn’t pleased with the performance […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 12/18/2015 The $1.1 trillion federal omnibus spending bill for fiscal 2016 passed today in the House and the Senate provides $12.5 billion for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a $1.1 billion increase from the fiscal 2015 level, including $8.8 billion for weapons activities, a $660 million increase from fiscal 2015. […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 12/18/2015 The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has reorganized its Office of Emergency Operations (NA-40) and its Office of Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation (NA-80) in support of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) new preparedness approach for emergencies such as adverse weather, accidents, or terrorism. NA-40 will “focus its efforts primarily on building […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 12/18/2015  Two men connected to work at the Savannah River Site’s Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) were indicted for allegedly stealing more than $4 million from the federal government. Bill Nettles, U.S. Attorney for South Carolina, announced Wednesday the indictment of Aaron Vennefron of Hamilton, Ohio, and Phillip Thompson of […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 12/18/2015 The former president of the U.S. branch of a Russian nuclear company this week was sentenced to 48 months in prison for helping arrange over $2 million in “corrupt payments” meant to aid U.S. businesses in securing contracts with the Russian state-owned nuclear energy corporation, the Department of Justice (DOJ) […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 12/18/2015 A transition of leadership is underway at the Atomic Trades and Labor Council, which represents more than 2,000 workers at the Department of Energy facilities at Oak Ridge, Tenn. Steve Jones, ATLC president and a key member of the team that negotiated new collective bargaining agreements at the Oak Ridge […]

Sandia Seeking Security Operation Services Contractor for California Site The Sandia National Laboratories is seeking a contractor for security operation services at its Livermore, Calif., site, a 400-acre area that includes national security research and development laboratories and facilities. Both large and small businesses are eligible to bid on the contract for an estimated five-year […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 12/11/2015 Y-12 contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security has reportedly made significant progress in resolving corrosion issues within a segment of the fire-protection system at the plant’s Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility, which holds the nation’s primary stockpile of weapon-grade uranium. According to reports from Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board staff, “microbiologically-influenced corrosion” […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 12/11/2015 Deficiencies in the issues management program at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Los Alamos Field Office has led to ineffective tracking of corrective actions and inconsistent documentation, the Department of Energy’s Inspector General (IG) said this week. A Dec. 7 letter and audit report from the IG to the […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 12/11/2015 Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) and the Department of Energy plan to ramp up production of plutonium oxide feed to support the nation’s MOX method of plutonium disposition. The feedstock, which will be produced using the Savannah River Site’s H Canyon and HB-Line facilities, is a diluted version of plutonium […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 12/11/2015 The Department of Energy’s (DOE) internal estimates for the long-term cost of nuclear weapons modernization operations exceed by over $4 billion President Barack Obama’s projections in the fiscal 2016 annual DOE and Department of Defense (DoD) joint report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found in a report released Thursday. The […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 12/11/2015 The nation’s planned MOX method of plutonium disposition is vulnerable to annual funding constraints, while a downblending approach is lower in both cost and associated risks, according to Aerospace Corp. The company conducted a congressionally mandated study on alternatives to the costly MOX project, which includes ongoing construction of the […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 12/11/2015 The chairman of the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday introduced a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government for five days beyond the Dec. 11 expiration of the current CR. The newly introduced bill maintains government funding at the fiscal 2015 funding levels of the current CR – passed at […]

Valerie Insinna Defense Daily 12/11/2015 The Navy anticipates building its top priority—the Ohio replacement submarine—during a fiscally austere period where the shipbuilding account will be strapped for cash, but using a special, Defense Department-wide account would give the service new funding mechanisms that could save anywhere from 5 to 10 percent per ship, the Congressional Budget Office […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 12/11/2015 Two nongovernmental nonproliferation organizations on Wednesday issued a joint declaration on preventing nuclear weapons proliferation and nuclear terrorism that called “as a matter of the highest priority for there to be an urgent and immediate requirement to rebuild U.S.-Russian relations.” The joint declaration by the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 12/11/2015 The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is seeking small businesses that could offer psychological assessment services to the agency’s Office of Personnel and Facility Clearances and Classification, according to a sources sought notice issued last week. The notice says the NNSA’s Albuquerque Complex is conducting market research for an “anticipated […]

NS&D Monitor 12/11/2015 IN THE NNSA Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS), managing contractor of the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee, is seeking expressions of interest for "architecture-engineering services" for an emergency operations center at the site, according to a sources sought solicitation posted by the Department of Energy (DOE) last week. The DOE said the new […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 12/4/2015 Members of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) identified reviews of quality assurance, emergency preparedness and response, and Department of Energy (DOE) directives as fiscal 2016 priorities at National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) labs. Speaking at a public business meeting last week regarding DNFSB’s work plan for the fiscal year, […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 12/4/2015 Lawmakers this week criticized the Obama administration for the years-long delay in reporting to Congress their concerns regarding a Russian violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty and for the United States’ lack of progress in restoring Russian compliance with the treaty. The treaty between the United States and […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 12/4/2015 The Los Alamos National Laboratory and its newly selected protective force contractor, the Centerra Group, have completed a full transfer of security responsibilities from departing contractor SOC. The final change took place Tuesday despite a pending protest by SOC that disputed the award, a factor that went unmentioned in announcements […]