Publications: Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 Montana Sens. Steve Daines (R) and Jon Tester (D) expressed disappointment this week about the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) decision to approve the Air Force’s proposed expansion of the Powder River Training Complex (PRTC). B-1s housed at Ellsworth AFB and B-52s housed at Minot AFB currently use the area, which […]

Burns & McDonnell to Build $12M Power Supply Building at Technical Area-55 NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 Burns & McDonnell, a Kansas City-based architecture, engineering and construction company, recently won a $12 million contract to build a nuclear class building that will house a pair of redundant power supply systems at Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Technical Area-55, […]

False Alarm at Purification Facility NS&D Monitor 3/27/2015 Not long after resuming operations following an evacuation and three-month shutdown due to a chemical spill, Y-12’s Purification Facility—which produces classified Fogbank for nuclear weapons—was once again evacuated this week. This time it was a false alarm, though, and top officials at the Oak Ridge plant said […]

A March 20 story incorrectly noted that Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker was relieved of his duties as commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Naval Air Force (CNAP). The Internet version of the story was corrected on March 24 to show that Capt. Heather Cole was relieved of her duties as commander of Strategic Communications Wing 1 […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Naval Air Force (CNAP), relieved Capt. Heather Cole of her duties as the commander of Strategic Communications Wing 1 (SCW 1) and Task Force 124 (TF 124) at Tinker AFB, Okla., on March 17, because of a “loss in the […]

Plant Looking for Groundwater Well Activities Contractor NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 Pantex Plant contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security is planning to put out a Request for Proposals for groundwater well activities, according to a solicitation released on FedBizOpps this week. CNS said it is looking for a contractor on an “as-needed basis” to support Pantex’s Long Term […]

Doubling Production at Y-12 9212 Facility to Pose Major Challenge for Contractor CNS NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 Doubling production at the aged 9212 uranium processing facility and maintaining safety won’t be easy, but National Nuclear Security Administration chief Frank Klotz said last week the recent goal put in place by the agency is important, doable and […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 Russia’s annexation of Crimea, coupled with the Kremlin’s withdrawal from longstanding bilateral nuclear cooperation efforts and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent nuclear saber-rattling, has severed trust between Russia and the U.S. and continues to threaten international stability, former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) said this week during a nuclear security panel […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 As weapon systems in the U.S. nuclear triad age out of their service lives in the next few decades, the full House Armed Services Committee will look more closely at modernization, committee Chair Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) said this week. “I’m afraid we have grown somewhat complacent about the importance […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 OGDEN, UTAH—The Defense Department might be forced to “look creatively” at funding the estimated $139 billion Ohio-class Replacement, including shifting money from other services, a top Navy official said March 19. “I don’t advocate that at all,” Rear Adm. Richard Breckenridge, Director of the Navy Warfare Integration Division (N91) said […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 The National Nuclear Security Administration released this week the latest update to its Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan, outlining a plan that it says balances near- and long-term stockpile, infrastructure and science and technology needs—as long as Congress provides necessary funding for the program. “NNSA has great confidence in its ability […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 OGDEN, Utah —Almost two years after the Air Force began the Future ICBM Sustainment and Acquisition Construct (FISAC) and as life extension work continues on systems such as the B-52 and Trident D5, the private nuclear weapons industry is confronting issues related to parts obsolescence, supply chain, employee recruitment and […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 The House and Senate Budget Committees this week released their  versions of the Fiscal Year 2016 budget resolution, creating cautious optimism among nuclear weapons complex observers about how much extra defense money—if any—will be available to lawmakers in Fiscal Year 2016 for nuclear modernization efforts. The Senate Budget Committee adhered […]

Pat Host Defense Daily 3/20/2015 The Air Force’s secretive and lucrative Long Range Strike Bomber (LRSB) program is progressing according to plan, according to a key service official. Assistant Air Force Secretary for Acquisition Bill LaPlante told a Senate panel March 19, when asked about an increase in the program’s unit cost, that the $550 […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 Fourteen vacant National Nuclear Security Administration facilities have languished since 2009 without being decontaminated or decommissioned due to a lack of funding, and the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management may not be properly prioritizing the facilities it takes from the NNSA, the Government Accountability Office said in a […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson has been nominated to serve as the next deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command. Wilson has commanded Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) since October 2013, during which he advocated for an across-the-board portfolio of nuclear modernization for the air- and ground-based legs of the nuclear […]

Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 PHOENIX, Ariz.—In order to limit the impacts of proposed budget cuts to new processing missions at Savannah River’s H-Canyon facility, the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Operations Office is working with the National Nuclear Security Administration on H-Canyon funding, DOE Savannah River Manager Dave Moody said here this week. Programs […]

Mike Nartker NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 PHOENIX, Ariz.—The National Nuclear Security Administration is planning to move forward this fiscal year with three contracting opportunities to be set aside for small businesses, an agency official said this week. Such opportunities will include a contract to provide NEPA support services, which is set to be worth approximately $125 […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 The Obama Administration and Congress should work to make sure the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program has enough funding and resources to address current and projected necessary investments in the overall naval nuclear enterprise, according to a report released March 19 by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). The report “Naval […]

White House Official Named LLNL Dep. Director for Science and Technology NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 White House Office of Science and Technology Policy official Patricia Falcone has been named the Deputy Director for Science and Technology at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and will take over her new position April 7. Falcone was detailed from Sandia National […]

French Ambassador Tours MOX Facility NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 French Ambassador Gerard Araud visited the Savannah River Site this week, touring the controversial Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility project. Araud was accompanied by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and several other French officials and met with AREVA Chief Executive Officer Gary Mignogna as well as French employees […]

NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 IN CONGRESS National Nuclear Security Administration chief Frank Klotz, acting DOE cleanup chief Mark Whitney and Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Vice Chairman Jesse Roberson will testify before the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee next week. The hearing will be held at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in Room 2118 of the Rayburn […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/13/2015 The U.S. currently possesses about 7,100 total nuclear warheads, including 2,340 retired and under Department of Energy custody, about 2,080 deployed and about 2,680 in storage, according to a report recently released by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). “At the beginning of 2015, the U.S. Defense Department maintained a […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/13/2015 The Air Force plans to award multiple contracts for the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent’s (GBSD’s) Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction (TMRR) phase, and will down-select for the Engineering & Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase, according to industry Q&As released March 9. The Air Force has not decided whether it will award the […]

Senate Appropriators Suggest Hard Decisions Await NNSA Budget Request Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 3/13/2015 National Nuclear Security Administration chief Frank Klotz told Senate appropriators this week that the Uranium Processing Facility planned for the Y-12 National Security Complex was on track to be completed by 2025 within a $6.5 billion budget cap. Testifying before the […]

NS&D Monitor 3/13/2015 ExchangeMonitor Publications and Forums was acquired this week by Access Intelligence, LLC, a business-to-business media and information company headquartered in Rockville, Md., serving the chemical, defense, satellite, aviation, cable, telecommunications, media and public relations markets. The acquisition comes roughly three months after Ed Helminski, the founder of ExchangeMonitor Publications and Forums, passed […]

Kenneth Fletcher and Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 3/13/2015 The appointment of former Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Poneman as the new President and CEO of uranium enrichment firm Centrus Energy Corp. is causing concerns among some on Capitol Hill. During Poneman’s tenure at DOE, the Department played a big role in plans by the company, […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 3/13/2015 The National Nuclear Security Administration awarded a trio of Office of Secure Transportation support services contracts to small business-led teams last month. The NNSA last year decided to break the OST support services contracts into three different vehicles for Training Support Services, Administration Support Services, and Logistics and Fleet Management […]