Publications: Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor

WASHINGTON – Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), ranking member of the House Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee, told Secretary of Energy Chris Wright Wednesday she has not received a “single response” to letters she sent him regarding firings at his agency. Kaptur said she and other lawmakers, over the past five months, on a “bipartisan” and […]

Earnings rose at BWX Technologies, Lynchburg, Va., in the first quarter, which the company partly attributed to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s intent to award it a sole source contract for an advanced uranium enrichment project.   “We had another quarter of strong commercial backlog growth and see robust opportunities for growth in our government […]

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) called for more investment in new nuclear power to address the United States and global demand for electricity, in an April 28 opinion piece posted in the Washington Times. “We are at a pivotal moment in energy production that will define our nation and the world for the remainder of […]

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran must agree to no longer enrich uranium because “the only countries in the world that enrich uranium are the ones that have nuclear weapons,” according to a May 1 State Department interview. “What they’re basically asking is to be the only non-weapon country in the world that’s enriching […]

Nuclear modernization, including the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel future intercontinental ballistic missile, and space resilience are top Department of the Air Force challenges that Matthew Lohmeier, the nominee for undersecretary of the Air Force, said he plans to address. “If confirmed, I suspect that the modernization of the nuclear portfolio and ensuring the resilience of […]

Earnings rose at Amentum, Chantilly, Va., in its second quarter, which the government contractor partly attributed Wednesday to demand for nuclear work and divestiture of a non-core asset.   Net earnings for the second quarter ended March 28 were $4 million, or $0.02 a share, up from a loss of $41 million or $0.46 a share, […]

After his recent reelection victory, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said he received a positive phone call from President Donald Trump, according to an Australian publication Monday. “We talked about AUKUS and tariffs and will continue to engage,” Albanese said, adding the two leaders would have a “face-to-face” meetup at “some time in the future.” […]

Teresa Robbins, acting head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, said on Capitol Hill Wednesday that the first production unit of the B61-13 gravity bomb is “anticipated” to be complete later this month. In testimony to the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Robbins said the program was “almost a full year ahead of schedule.” […]

Gen. Thomas Bussiere, commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., said reusing the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile siloes for the replacement Sentinel in the future might not be “more efficient” or “cost effective.” Bussiere’s comments came at the April 30 Advanced Nuclear Weapons Alliance Deterrence Center virtual […]

Earnings rose at Centrus Energy, based in Bethesda, Maryland, in the first quarter, which the uranium broker and enrichment technology developer attributed to resolved contracts and supply orders. Net earnings for the first quarter ended were $27.2 million, or $1.60 a share, compared to $6.1 million, or $0.38 a share, in the year-ago quarter. Quarterly […]

The Government Accountability Office, in a report sent last month to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, highlighted six areas affecting the mission of DOE and its semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration. Nuclear weapons complex areas discussed were: improving contract, project and program management; as well as management of nuclear modernization challenges; addressing strategic human capital; […]

On the heels of a federal judge’s ruling last fall, the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration formally announced plans Friday for a detailed review of environmental impacts of planned plutonium pit production. DOE’s semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced in the Federal Register it is kicking off a programmatic environmental impact statement […]

During the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term he has moved aggressively to reduce the federal workforce and the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons complex has not been immune. Trump’s second term, which started Jan. 20, hit the 100-day mark this week on April 30.  One of Trump’s initiatives has been the […]

The U.S. Navy this week released a draft Request for Solution to design a prototype for a “survivable sea-based capability” for the nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missile flight system. Capability requirement responses are due by Monday May 5 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. A planned nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N) would be deployed on the Virginia-class […]

The Congressional Budget Office projected in a report released April 24 that plans for the U.S. nuclear forces as described in the fiscal 2025 budget would cost $946 billion for the 2025-2034 period. Of the $946 billion, $817 billion is what is budgeted to “implement the plans for current and future delivery systems, warheads, command […]

Huntington Ingalls Industries on Thursday posted first quarter declines in its top and bottom-lines driven by lower sales across the company’s operating segments, and higher interest expense and taxes. Net income fell nearly 3% to $149 million, $3.79 earnings per share (EPS), from $153 million ($3.87 EPS) a year ago. The results handily topped consensus […]

Brandon Williams, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the National Nuclear Security Administration, advanced onto the Senate Executive Calendar after the Armed Services committee voted “favorably” for him on May 1, according to the congressional website. The committee did not tell the Exchange Monitor what the final tally vote was.  Williams is calendar item No. […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Armed Services Committee voted 35-21 on Tuesday to advance a $150 billion defense spending plan as part of the forthcoming reconciliation bill. The committee’s markup of the legislation included voting down a slew of Democrat-proposed amendments aimed at placing limits on the spending. These included one from Rep. John Garamendi […]

Former Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory director John Foster died on April 25 at the age of 102, the lab announced Tuesday. Foster served as Lawrence Livermore’s fourth director from 1961-65, before becoming director of Defense Research and Engineering at the Department of Defense from 1965-1973, under four defense secretaries and two presidents. However, his career […]

The National Academies’ Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board will discuss topics including the consequences of attacks on nuclear plants, during a two-day meeting starting May 15 in Washington, D.C. “The military threats to Ukrainian nuclear power plants as well as the Chernobyl shelter have raised renewed concerns about the vulnerability of these systems,” according to […]

Software company Govini on Wednesday said it has been tapped by the Navy to help identify issues across parts of the nuclear submarine industrial base. The company said this means the Navy will deploy their flagship Ark software product “to continuously identify vulnerabilities across its industrial base using factors such as financial health, production capacity, […]

The Donald Trump administration released the fiscal 2026 budget proposal and topline discretionary funding request Friday, calling for a 13% increase in defense spending and a 22.6% decrease in non-defense spending. The request, obtained by the Exchange Monitor, said the Department of Defense would “re-establish deterrence” in coordination with Trump’s “peace through strength” agenda. The […]

WASHINGTON, DC. — In testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday, Vice Admiral Scott Pappano, President Donald Trump’s pick for principal deputy administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, was asked by Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) if he thought the agency’s workforce should increase. “What you’re going to be tasked with, you and others, […]

Earnings fell at Fluor, Irving, Texas, in the first quarter, which the engineering and construction company that serves the Department of Energy and other federal clients attributed mostly to its non-government work. Net earnings for the first quarter ended March 31 reflected a loss of $241 million, or $1.42 a share, down from earnings of […]

A senior member of the Senate Armed Services and Appropriations Committees has raised concerns that the Trump administration’s widespread tariffs policy will lead to a spike in defense acquisition costs and negatively impact the industrial base. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who is also the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to […]

As President Donald Trump proposes designating the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant as a neutral zone under Washington’s control, International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said safety assessments will be needed for the “unprecedented” situation. “In whichever scenario that we will have in the near future, there will have to be some status for the […]

A manufacturing process change that will allow Northrop Grumman to reduce risk, increase production rates, and set the foundation for expanded production numbers of the B-21 stealth bomber beyond current plans helped lead to a $397 million after-tax loss on the Air Force program in the first quarter, the company said on Tuesday. The manufacturing […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said “we should all welcome” the nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran in a panel at a conference in Washington Tuesday. “I would say this is a moment, if I have to characterize it, this is a moment which is fraught with opportunity,” […]