Publications: Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor

Mike Nartker NS&D Monitor 9/19/2014 CH2M Hill is looking to reduce its workforce by approximately 1,200 people out of 26,000 employees as part of a new restructuring plan that the company said last week is intended to generate approximately $100 million in “operational efficiencies.” The restructuring will entail “a voluntary retirement program, workforce reductions and […]

Kenneth Fletcher and Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/19/2014 The Department of Energy’s Office of Science has given more autonomy to national laboratories from headquarters on management and budget decisions, a DOE official this week told a panel tasked with reviewing the labs. The Congressionally-mandated Commission to Review the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories pressed […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/19/2014 Sens. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) have formally established a bipartisan Senate National Laboratory Caucus aimed at rallying funding and policy support for the Department of Energy’s 17 institutions. The senators gathered with Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and directors or representatives from each of the 17 laboratories Sept. […]

Longtime UPF Procurement Manager Rich Brown Leaving for UK Project NS&D Monitor 9/19/2014 Rich Brown, the longtime procurement manager on the Uranium Processing Facility project, is leaving UPF to support a new project in the United Kingdom for Bechtel Systems and Infrastructure. He will be replaced by Bechtel procurement official Mark Swager, UPF Project Director […]

NNSA Asks DOE IG to Investigate Case of Fired LANL Nonprolif. Expert NS&D Monitor 9/19/2014 National Nuclear Security Administration chief Frank Klotz is asking the Department of Energy’s Inspector General to look into whether a Los Alamos National Laboratory nonproliferation expert was fired based on an the publication of a pro-nuclear abolition article. DOE has […]

Sandia Official to Serve as Director of National Ignition Facility NS&D Monitor 9/19/2014 Sandia National Laboratories official Mark Hermann will take over as the new director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility Oct. 6, Principal Associate Director for NIF and Photon Science Jeff Wisoff said in a Sept. 16 memo obtained by NS&D […]

NS&D Monitor 9/19/2014 IN THE INDUSTRY All pending legal challenges to AECOM’s planned acquisition of URS have been dismissed, according to a URS filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week. Beginning in late July, seven class action lawsuits were filed against the planned acquisition, and by Aug. 5, six of the suits had […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 The looming possibility that tritium operations at the Savannah River Site could be folded into Consolidated Nuclear Security’s Y-12/Pantex contract has tritium employees worried about a change in benefits and management concerned about the operational impacts that would accompany a loss of talent and knowledge if a large number of […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 Andrew Weber, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs, said late this week that he will step down from his position this fall after more than five years in the role. Weber’s departure was first reported by Weapons Complex Morning Briefing. Weber, who also serves […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 The vote for Scottish independence next week could have significant impacts on the future of the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrent as Scottish leaders have vowed to remove the UK’s nuclear warheads and submarines from the base in Scotland that is their exclusive home should Scots vote for independence. There is […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 The National Nuclear Security Administration has ordered new Y-12 contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security to dig deeper into a series of abnormal events over the past couple of years, assess whether there are any systemic issues that have been missed or undocumented and come up with a path forward that will […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 House lawmakers are pushing back action on a short-term Continuing Resolution necessary to keep funding the federal government at the start of Fiscal Year 2015 as the President this week requested that authorization to take action against ISIS in Iraq and Syria be included in the CR. The CR would […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 It doesn’t appear that Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Plutonium Facility will be fully operational any time soon, according to information released this week. Work at the facility was shut down in June  2013, with only partial operations having resumed, and National Nuclear Security Administration Acting Associate Administrator for Infrastructure and […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 After the expiration of the current five-year Future Years Defense Program (FYDP), ongoing development of the long-range strike bomber (LRS-B) and replacement of 14 Ohio-class submarines could cause a significant dent in the post-Fiscal Year 2019 defense budget, according to a report by Todd Harrison, senior fellow of defense budget […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 U.S. and Russian officials made no progress in talks late this week about accusations that Russia has violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department. The U.S. delegation, led by Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller, traveled […]

Mike Nartker NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall—the Obama Administration’s choice to serve as the new No. 2 official in DOE—this week joined the lengthy list of DOE nominees awaiting full confirmation by the Senate. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved Sherwood-Randall’s nomination to serve as the next Deputy Secretary of Energy by a […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 The NATO Wales Summit ended late last week with no change to the alliance’s nuclear posture. Deep within the summit declaration was language mirroring previous statements in NATO’s 2012 Deterrence and Defense Posture Review and 2010 Strategic Concept indicating that the alliance will remain nuclear as long as nuclear weapons […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 The Department of Energy’s national labs need to open to up to small and medium businesses in their locales and make a bigger impact on regional economies, spreading the wealth of their expertise and research missions, according to a new study by the Brookings Institution. The report, titled, “Going Local: […]

‘Leda’ Hydrodynamic Experiment Conducted Successfully NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 Los Alamos National Laboratory recently completed a successful hydrodynamic experiment at the Nevada National Security Site, with scientists involved in the experiment reporting that the test had produced a significant amount of data that will aid the Stockpile Stewardship Program. The test, nicknamed “Leda,” was conducted Aug. […]

NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 IN THE INDUSTRY Canadian firm WSP Global has reached a deal to purchase Parsons Brinckerhoff from parent company Balfour Beatty for approximately $1.35 billion. The deal, announced last week, entails an enterprise value of approximately $1.24 billion and a “cash consideration” of up to $110 million, according to a release. The terms […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 9/5/2014 Three former generals are advocating continued U.S. compliance to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty despite allegations that Russia violated the agreement by testing its R-500 cruise missile. The INF Treaty prohibits ground-launched cruise and ballistic missiles with ranges from 500 to 5,000 kilometers. In a piece published last week  in […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 9/5/2014 With Russian President Vladimir Putin increasingly emphasizing Moscow’s nuclear firepower amid growing tensions with the United States over Ukraine, nuclear weapons experts suggested this week that Russia’s nuclear bluster could provide more ammunition to supporters of modernizing the U.S. nuclear stockpile and weapons complex. Speaking Aug. 29 at a youth […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/5/2014 Lawmakers are expected to return from their summer recess next week and passing a Continuing Resolution to fund the government at the start of Fiscal Year 2015 will be among the top priorities. But lawmakers are expected to strive for a short-term “clean” CR—that is, one devoid of many policy […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/5/2014 Later this month, the Army Corps of Engineers will turn over the High Explosives Pressing Facility to Pantex contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security, kicking off an extensive testing and readiness period that is expected to last another two years. But there is hope, among both the National Nuclear Security Administration and […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/5/2014 The Department of Energy’s Office of Enforcement is investigating a potential security violation at the Y-12 National Security Complex that occurred just before new Y-12/Pantex contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security took over management of the facilities. In a Sept. 3 letter to CNS President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Haynes, Office […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/5/2014 The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is calling on the Department of Energy to strengthen its emergency response capabilities and this week issued its first formal recommendation in nearly two years. The recommendation was prompted, in part, by DOE’s response to a truck fire and radioactive material release at the […]

Mike Nartker NS&D Monitor 9/5/2014 Senior URS executive Randy Wotring will head up AECOM’s work in the federal marketplace, including in the Department of Energy, once it completes its acquisition of URS, according to information released earlier this week. AECOM and URS outlined the planned management structure of their combined organization in messages to employees. […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 9/5/2014 The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center expects to release a Request for Proposal for new reentry system testing equipment this fall, according to AFNWC spokesperson Kendahl Johnson. The information was released this week as industry gathered at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico for an industry day for the […]