Publications: Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor

Underground operations at the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico are being suspended until probably mid-August, DOE told the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) this week. WIPP, the nation’s only deep disposal site for defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste, is pausing underground emplacement while it repairs a pair of hoists. In […]

Transuranic (TRU) waste shipments to the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, N.M. were cut short in May, after issues with both of the facility’s hoists led to a temporary shutdown. Prior to the shutdown, WIPP received 23 TRU waste shipments in May, according to the facility’s receipt database. By comparison, […]

Senators from both parties are pressing the Donald Trump administration to submit any future agreement with Iran, and any provisions addressing Tehran’s nuclear program, for congressional review. Lawmakers returned to Washington this week seeking details about a preliminary memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran that Trump said would help end hostilities and […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) top weapons official said the nuclear security enterprise must embrace modern manufacturing and digital technologies to accelerate development and production of future weapons capabilities, while warning that budget constraints could threaten those efforts. Speaking Wednesday at a webinar by the Energy Facility Contractors Group to industry and enterprise stakeholders, […]

Efforts to reduce administrative burdens and streamline operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory’s PF-4 plutonium facility have increased the amount of time the facility is available for production work, according to Mark Davis, deputy laboratory director for operations. Speaking Wednesday at a webinar by the Energy Facility Contractors Group about workplace efficiency initiatives, Davis said […]

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) expects the full House of Representatives to take up the fiscal 2027 Energy & Water Development appropriations bill next week. “We will go to the floor next week.” Fleischmann told the annual meeting of the Energy Facility Contractors Group (EFCOG) Wednesday in Washington, D.C. The lawmaker, whose district adjoins the Department […]

The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) released its version of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would authorize $32.31 billion in spending for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). SASC marked up its version of the must-pass defense policy bill last week, and it has advanced to the Senate floor now. The […]

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California has entered production for the Lynx supercomputing cluster, a new high-performance computing system designed to support nuclear weapons simulations and other key national security workloads. The system is part of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Commodity Technology Systems-2 program, an effort to provide advanced computing resources across the […]

The United States and Iran reached a deal to end the U.S. military campaign in Iran and open the Strait of Hormuz, according to Pakistan’s prime minister, but the questions still remain on Iran’s nuclear program.  Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a mediator between the two parties, told media outlets over the weekend that both […]

Global spending on nuclear weapons reached a record $118.8 billion in 2025, driven largely by increased U.S. investments in nuclear modernization programs, according to a report by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). The report released this week estimates the United States spent $69.2 billion on nuclear weapons activities last year, accounting for […]

The U.S. Navy has started early work to establish a new naval support activity (NSA) in Perth, Western Australia, as of May 30 as part of the AUKUS trilateral partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Navy said NSA Stirling is due to provide support services and programs for service members, […]

The Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant was reconnected to external power June 13 after repairs to a damaged backup transmission line were completed under a localized ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the agency said on X. The plant lost connection to its 330-kilovolt Ferosplavna backup power line late June 11 due to […]

The Senate Armed Services Committee’s (SASC) fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would authorize over $41 billion for Department of Energy national security programs while advancing provisions tied to nuclear weapons programs. SASC has been marking up its version of the defense policy bill in closed hearings this week, and on Thursday released the […]

Defense materials company ATI announced Thursday it has signed a new five-year strategic material supply agreement with nuclear fuel company BWX Technologies (BWXT), extending a long-standing partnership supporting the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program through fiscal 2030.  The agreement is intended to ensure a steady supply of specialty materials used in reactor systems for the […]

The House Appropriations Defense subcommittee (HAC-D) Thursday advanced its $1.07 trillion defense spending bill for fiscal 2027, which funds nuclear-related programs at the Pentagon such as the nuclear triad and the delivery systems that carry nuclear warheads. The bill, which aligns with the Donald Trump administration’s requested discretionary spending level, will be marked up by […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Legislation to accelerate licensing for domestic uranium enrichment is critical in building nuclear reactors at scale, panelists told the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Energy subcommittee Tuesday. During the House subcommittee hearing, the panelists discussed and reviewed six proposed pieces of nuclear energy-related legislation that subcommittee members said are aimed to further […]

Los Alamos National Laboratory updated its sitewide seismic hazard analysis and is expected to influence future facility design, safety-basis evaluations and infrastructure projects supporting the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) nuclear weapons mission. According to a Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) report from May 22, the updated probabilistic seismic hazard analysis was recently approved […]

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors Wednesday approved a U.S.-backed resolution directing Iran to provide a full accounting of its enriched uranium stockpiles and grant inspectors access needed to verify the material’s status. The measure passed the 35-nation board by a vote of 21-3, with 10 abstentions, according to AI-Monitor. Russia, China […]

Two top GOP senators on the Senate Appropriations Committee are opposing a third reconciliation bill, both said during a hearing on the Air Force’s budget Tuesday. The Trump administration’s total $1.5 trillion fiscal 2027 defense request is split between $1.15 trillion in discretionary spending and $350 billion the White House has said it will seek […]

President Donald Trump’s special envoys for Iran, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, reportedly consulted nuclear experts at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn. to prepare for a nuclear deal with Iran, according to Axios. The article also said the White House is trying to reach a memorandum of understanding with Iran to end […]

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi urged Iran to cooperate with the agency, warning inspectors remain unable to verify the status of Tehran’s enriched uranium stockpiles a year after U.S.-Israeli military strikes damaged key nuclear facilities. Addressing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors this week, Grossi called on Iran to […]

The defense ministers of the three AUKUS partners last week announced Australia will now exclusively buy used American Virginia-class attack submarines (SSNs). According to a joint statement released by the U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the British and Australian defense ministers John Healey and Richard Marles, respectively, the three welcomed a proposed approach […]

The House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) rejected an amendment to the fiscal 2027 defense authorization bill to cut funding for the new Trump-class battleship but did agree to a report on how the Navy will manage another nuclear-powered vessel. During the full committee markup last week, ranking member Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) offered an amendment […]

Chantilly, Va.-based Amentum said Thursday it has been awarded a contract by Fluor-led Savannah River Nuclear Solutions to provide design and engineering services for the Tritium Finishing Facility Project at the Savannah River Site. Amentum’s Thursday press release did not reveal the value of the contract. “As a trusted partner to the National Nuclear Security […]

The House Armed Services Committee passed its version of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) at midnight Thursday after debating around 900 amendments all day Thursday, several of which pertained to nuclear issues. The defense policy bill, which also sets spending caps for the appropriations bills, would authorize $32.76 billion in funding for […]

The House Armed Services Committee Thursday voted 44-12 to advance the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would authorize $32.76 billion in funding for the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). That is just a little less than the White House requested for fiscal 2027 at $32.80 billion, and almost $7 […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is starting work on a new facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) that the agency says will strengthen U.S. capabilities to monitor foreign uranium enrichment activities and support nuclear nonproliferation missions. The Advanced Testbed and Operations Learning Laboratory, or ATOLL, will be a 21,000-square-foot facility designed to develop […]

Tetra Tech has been awarded a contract valued at nearly $1.8 million to assist the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) in developing federal environmental policy documents. The work involves technical support services for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance for site-wide document development for NNSA’s Office of Environment, Safety, and Health, according […]