Publications: Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has authorized startup of the Calciner Project at Y-12 National Security Complex, adding another modernized uranium processing capability. The calciner converts uranium-bearing liquid solutions from pipes and process equipment into a stable solid form for storage, allowing radioactive material to be removed from legacy facilities and supporting the eventual […]

A project baseline that includes costs and timelines for the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility’s (SRPPF) main building was submitted for federal review in January, with no projections for when it might be acted upon.  While awaiting approval, Fluor-led Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the management contractor at the 310-square-mile Savannah River Site in Aiken, […]

While there is a “remote” chance the full House of Representatives could vote on the fiscal 2027 Energy & Water Appropriations bill next week, it is more likely that the measure won’t be taken up until September, a key House Appropriator said Wednesday. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn) who chairs the House Appropriations Energy & Water […]

The Department of Energy is still being very tight-fisted when it comes to sharing information with the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, DNFSB said in a recent letter to Congress. In addition, the congressionally-created safety watchdog said in its July 10 letter that DOE is not living up to the terms of a  2022 memorandum […]

A new study by Princeton University researchers argues that the National Nuclear Security Administration’s analysis underestimates the geographic and health impacts of any potential severe plutonium fire at pit production facilities. The peer-reviewed study, published in Science & Global Security, examines hypothetical plutonium fire scenarios at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and the […]

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Wednesday found the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has not fully assessed the workforce and programmatic resources needed to support planned investments in the scientific infrastructure underpinning U.S. stockpile stewardship. The report recommends that NNSA conduct a comprehensive assessment of its long-term science, technology and engineering workforce and […]

Mission Support and Test Services (MSTS), prime contractor for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), issued a request for information and expression of interest to help develop procurement strategy for fire suppression system services. The pre-solicitation notice seeks industry feedback to help shape a future contract supporting the full life […]

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee who oversees Savannah River Site in his state, died suddenly Saturday, Graham’s office said Sunday. “On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” Graham’s office said in a statement early […]

The Town of Taos, N.M. last month approved a resolution opposing the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) plans to expand plutonium pit production at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), calling for further environmental review. Resolution 26-37, adopted June 9, cites a Feb. 11 NNSA Defense Programs memorandum, Responsive Today, Dominant Tomorrow: Enhancing American Nuclear Dominance, […]

The B-21 Raider will have two pilots instead of one pilot and a weapons systems officer (WSO), according to the Air Force, as the service creates a competitive pilot transition program for WSOs and combat systems officers (CSOs). The Air Force said in a July 9 press release the transition program would be for the […]

Centrus Energy will join the S&P SmallCap 600 Index before markets open July 14, a move the company said reflects its growing role in rebuilding the U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain and expanding domestic uranium enrichment capacity. “Our invitation into the S&P SmallCap 600 reflects the progress our team has made and the expanding role […]

On the Exchange Monitor homepage is a guest opinion editorial with in-depth analysis on public-private partnership in fusion research. “Guest Column: Former lab execs on fusion’s promise: Leveraging public-private Partnership for 21st century deterrence” by Paul Hommert, former director of Sandia National Laboratories, and Bob Webster, former deputy lab director at Los Alamos National Laboratory, […]

By Paul Hommert and Bob Webster In 1995, facing the end of nuclear testing and uncertain about our ability to maintain the nuclear deterrent without it, the United States made a bold bet.  The Science-Based Stockpile Stewardship Program[1] represented an audacious wager that advanced computing, sophisticated diagnostics, and world-class science could remove the need to […]

The Department of Energy expects its artificial intelligence-focused Genesis Mission to double productivity of the nation’s research and development (R&D) enterprise over the next decade, Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil said during an Amazon Web Services event. “Ultimately, we seek to double the productivity and impact of America’s trillion-dollar-a-year R&D engine within a decade,” […]

Officials at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico are investigating a June 15 furnace fire inside a glovebox at the laboratory’s plutonium facility after operators observed smoke and flames during recovery and purification operations. The incident prompted an emergency response but caused no injuries, radiological release or damage beyond the affected equipment, according to […]

BWX Technologies (BWXT) completed its acquisition of Precision Components Group (PCG), finalizing a deal first announced in April that aims to expand the company’s U.S. heavy-manufacturing capacity for commercial nuclear components, according to a company press release Monday. PCG, which includes subsidiaries Precision Custom Components and DC Fabricators, manufactures heat-transfer components for the commercial sector, […]

The Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) latest report of major defense acquisition programs found that while several nuclear modernization efforts continue to advance through development and testing, the Sentinel program remains burdened by significant cost, schedule and design challenges. In its annual review of weapon systems released last week, GAO said the Air Force’s Sentinel intercontinental […]

A coalition of watchdog organizations is pressing the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to release three documents it argues are essential to public review of the agency’s draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for expanded plutonium pit production. The South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) – which is representing Savannah River Site Watch, Tri-Valley CAREs […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) completed the certification, or “diamond stamping,” of all planned canned subassemblies for the B61-13 nuclear gravity bomb this fiscal year, according to a Wednesday agency press release. NNSA also said in the release it certified the canned subassemblies, or the secondary stage of a two-stage thermonuclear weapon, at Y-12 […]

An analyst with the European Policy Centre (EPC) warned NATO’s evolving defense posture must preserve a credible conventional military presence in Europe, arguing that nuclear guarantees alone are insufficient to deter Russia. In an op-ed published this week, EPC policy analyst Juraj Majcin said the alliance’s shift toward greater European responsibility for conventional defense — […]

The United States nearly doubled its uranium production last year from its 2024 total as the country’s renewed interest in nuclear power continues to materialize. In the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Annual Domestic Uranium Production Report, published June 23, the U.S. uranium mines produced 1.38 million pounds of triuranium octoxide (U3O8) in 2025. This was […]

Oak Ridge, Tenn.-based Standard Nuclear proposed its initial public offering (IPO) Tuesday just weeks after the company filed its IPO with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in mid-June. The advanced nuclear fuel company Standard Nuclear said in a Tuesday press release it is launching its “roadshow” for its proposed IPO of 18.25 million shares […]

The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state continues to prepare to ship transuranic waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico and could start sending drums there within a year, according to a Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) update. In a DNFSB resident inspector report for the week ended […]

Centrus Energy and the Department of Energy have signed the contract for the $900 million DOE award to bolster the domestic uranium enrichment production that was announced in January. American Centrifuge Operating, a Centrus company, was one of the three companies awarded $900 million by DOE, totaling $2.7 billion given out in task orders. Centrus […]

The House will leave for the Fourth of July recess without moving forward on its $1.15 trillion fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with a procedural vote to begin floor debate failing on Tuesday. The House voted 198-224 against the rule for considering the NDAA, the defense policy bill that sets spending limits […]

Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS), the Bechtel-led joint venture that runs the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)’s Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., said Friday that Todd Ailes will become its new president and CEO effective July 1. Ailes will succeed Rich Tighe who is leaving CNS after about four years to become project […]

The November race for governor in the major nuclear state of South Carolina is now set after state Attorney General Alan Wilson defeated Lieutenant Gov. Pamela Evette, who was backed by President Trump, in a GOP primary runoff last week. Wilson, who as attorney general spearheaded litigation over a cancelled project at the Department of […]

The chairman’s mark of the House Appropriations Committee’s (HAC) fiscal 2027 defense appropriations bill funds the administration’s $1 billion request for the BBG(X) Trump-class battleship, but adds restrictions. The proposed restrictions would require a certification from the Navy Secretary on combat system maturity as well as reports seeking key details about ship development. During the […]