Publications: Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/24/2015 While the Los Alamos National Laboratory has addressed safety and quality assurance recommendations made in three reviews between 2010 and 2014, the lab has struggled to implement several safety requirements, resulting in lengthy program safety review and approval processes, according to an Energy Department Inspector General’s Office follow-up report released […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/24/2015 Command of the Air Force Global Strike Command will shift from Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson to Gen. Robin Rand on July 28, ending Wilson’s nearly two-year tenure as commander of the service’s nuclear deterrence branch, command spokeswoman Carla Pampe confirmed to NS&D Monitor on Wednesday. The change of command will […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/24/2015 Los Alamos National Laboratory is working to restart Plutonium Facility operations by the end of fiscal 2016 after an already two-year hiatus, according to a letter, released Tuesday, from National Nuclear Security Administration chief Frank Klotz to the Energy Department Inspector General’s Office. Managing contractor Los Alamos National Security “has […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/24/2015 The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center has awarded BAE Systems a $11.1 million contract modification, which will effectively extend the company’s role as integration support contractor (ISC) for the Minuteman 3 on to the ICBM’s planned follow-on, the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, for at least one year, the Defense Department announced […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 7/24/2015 Sandia Corporation is required to pay a penalty of $577,500 for six classified information security violations, according to a July 13 Final Notice of Violation (FNOV) from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) released last week. The violations, dating back to 1997 and discovered in 2012 at Sandia National Laboratories’ […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/24/2015 The Pantex Plant has implemented a new Nuclear Explosive Engineering Procedure and has resumed nuclear-explosive disassembly after an unexpected issue during a lifting operation forced workers to halt dismantlement activities on June 17, Pantex spokesman George Rangel confirmed to NS&D Monitor on Wednesday. A recently released Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 7/24/2015 Lockheed Martin Corporation, the incumbent in the management and operation contract competition for Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), responded to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) sources sought solicitation for SNL’s management following the current contract’s April 30, 2017 end date. In a statement to NS&D Monitor, Lockheed spokesman Matt Kramer confirmed […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 7/24/2015 Two Navy officials who faced allegations of lobbying for Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine replacement funding have been cleared of breaking the law by the Department of Defense Inspector General (DoD IG), according to statements from DoD IG and Navy spokespeople obtained by NS&D Monitor and sister publication Defense Daily this […]

Y-12 Protesters to be Resentenced on Sept. 15 Resentencing for the three Plowshares protesters who turned the nuclear security world upside down with their July 28, 2012, break-in at the Y-12 National Security Complex is set for Sept. 15. Sister Megan Rice, a Catholic nun who was 82 at the time of the protest action, […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 7/24/2015 The use of weapon-usable highly enriched uranium (HEU) for civilian applications worldwide is becoming a thing of the past despite political obstacles, according to Andrew Bieniawski, vice president of material security and minimization at the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and a former National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) official. Bieniawski late […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 7/24/2015 Northrop Grumman demonstrated the ability to “rapidly integrate” subsystems onto the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber using Open Mission Systems (OMS)-compliant architecture in June at Edwards Air Force Base in California, the company announced this week. "This demonstration paves the way for the B-2 weapon system to provide new operational capability […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/24/2015 Effective Wednesday, Dr. Don Cook has retired from his position as deputy administrator for defense programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration, a position he served in for five years, the Department of Energy branch confirmed this week. “During his time as Deputy Administrator, Dr. Cook has led a number […]

IN NNSA Pantex/Y-12 contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security in March completed the first phase of implementing a pilot software program aimed to help National Nuclear Security Administration facility managers and maintenance managers decide how to best maintain building infrastructure, according to a Tuesday Y-12 press release. The first phase entailed CNS inputting data for mission critical […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 The United States should unilaterally reduce its nuclear arsenal without fear of Russia’s nuclear modernization program, according to Greg Thielmann, Senior Fellow at the Arms Control Association. "I also disagree with those . . . who say we cannot now risk much deeper cuts in our current nuclear arsenals," Thielmann […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 Ending the U.S. civil nuclear agreement with China would diminish Washington’s visibility into Beijing’s questionable nonproliferation practices, and could tempt other countries to fill the void created by the departure of American companies, two senior State Department officials told House lawmakers yesterday. France, Russia, Japan, and South Korea could capitalize […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 [Eds. Note: NS&D Monitor originally published this story on July 10, following the email of last week’s issue. We have re-published the story in this week’s emailed issue, to make sure all of our subscribers have gotten the chance to read it.] Released on July 8, an independent review of […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) must pay closer attention to its management of Support Service Contracts (SSC) to avoid violating federal regulations that govern personal services contracts and inherently governmental functions, according to a special review released this week by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Inspector General (IG). The […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 U.S. allies have “no confusion” that Russia remains in violation of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and the Obama administration has seen no indication that the Putin government plans to return to compliance, Jon Wolfsthal, National Security Council senior director for arms control and nonproliferation, said during a speech […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 The relationship between the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the contractors managing its laboratories must be made stronger to benefit the U.S. nuclear modernization program, according to Thomas D’Agostino, former NNSA administrator. “In order to effectively modernize our infrastructure, we need to have a different type of relationship between […]

The following interview with Maj. Gen. Garrett Harencak, Air Force Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration (A10), and Michael Shoults, Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, was conducted at the Pentagon by NS&D Monitor reporter Brian Bradley. Before the interview, Maj. Gen. Harencak told NS&D Monitor […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 After the State Department this week expressed its opposition to Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford’s statement to Congress last week that Russia is the greatest national security threat to the U.S., largely because of its nuclear capabilities, the nominee to be the next Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) announced this week that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Mexico (UNM) that will maintain the two institutions’ decades-long history of research partnerships. The pact establishes a "Strategic Alliance" at the university’s Centennial Engineering Center, the news release says. According to […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 The Energy Department and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are seeking sources to determine the feasibility of building a 64,800-square-foot construction support facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex, estimated to cost between $10 million and $25 million and to require about 1 1/2 years to complete, according to an […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 Nuclear capabilities would be one of three areas of “particular emphasis” for the nominee of the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff if he is confirmed, according to in testimony he submitted in advance of his Tuesday confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. “If confirmed as […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 Despite progress on global nuclear disarmament, there is little chance of a world without the bomb, Adm. William Gortney, commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, said during a speech at the State Department on Wednesday. “The nuclear genie’s there, and until everybody wants to do […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 Despite the end of U.S.-Russian Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) activities, nuclear security cooperation between the two countries remains strong and arms control initiatives must be jointly undertaken to be effective, Department of State officials said this week. The U.S.-Russian relationship framed several nuclear security discussions at the agency’s Generation Prague […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 The Y-12 National Security Complex is exercising “energy savings performance contracts” (ESPCs) that include replacing dilapidated wooden cooling towers at the chiller plant with higher-efficiency towers, swapping existing steam lines with natural gas lines, and adding a new compressed air facility on the site’s east end, according to a July […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 Centrus announced on July 10 that it has promoted Stephen Greene, Treasurer and Vice President of Finance, to CFO, Senior Vice President and Treasurer, effective July 24, according to a press release. Greene has served in his current posts since 2007. “Since joining the company, I have been impressed with […]