Publications: Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor

The United States should hold off on nuclear fuel reprocessing, until the proliferation concerns around the process are addressed, a former National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) official said recently. In a May interview with Exchange Monitor, Scott Roecker, who formerly served as the director of the Office of Nuclear Material Removal at NNSA, told the […]

The United States nuclear weapons enterprise must be flexible, scalable and collaborative in coming years in a world where Russia and China are rapidly modernizing their nuclear triad, officials said during a Tuesday webinar held by the Advanced Nuclear Weapons Alliance (ANWA) Deterrence Center. Kim Budil, director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Eric […]

The White House Office of Personnel Management is seeking public comment on its proposal to implement non-disclosure agreements, or NDAs, for future and current federal employees. According to a Wednesday Federal Register notice, the proposal is meant to ensure employees “comply with, current legal obligations to safeguard non-public, confidential, or proprietary information, created or obtained […]

The Navy’s top officer last week outlined updates in the service’s strategy to extend the service life of several nuclear-armed Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) that could result in quicker turnarounds for delays in the new Columbia-class boats. “We were looking at a number between four and five of these PIRAs, as we call them, […]

Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink could gain the authority to transfer funds appropriated for non-ICBM programs to the LGM-35A Sentinel future ICBM and the existing Minuteman III, under the fiscal 2027 House Armed Services Committee (HASC) proposal by Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.). The transfer authority would last from fiscal 2027 through fiscal 2030, […]

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee on May 12 that the Navy expects industry to hit a production rate of two Virginia-class attack submarines (SSNs) per year by 2032 “based on the things we’ve done in place and the things we have now, we should be at the […]

The Navy’s latest 30-year shipbuilding plan released May 11 reveals the Trump-class battleship will be nuclear powered and armed, while extending to a 15-ship class.. “The nuclear-powered battleship is designed to provide the fleet with a significant increase in combat power by longer endurance, higher speed, and accommodating advanced weapon systems required for modern warfare,” […]

Several lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee last week were dubious of the Navy’s approach to the new Trump-class battleship in the fiscal year 2027 budget request. “I don’t doubt for a minute your need, I don’t,” Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), ranking member of the subcommittee, told Navy officials May 12.  “But here’s […]

As the Air Force prepares to modify two B-52H bombers later this year for the Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP), the bomber directorate’s contracting office will meet with contractors interested in supplying support equipment to install new engines. The Office at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., will meet with contractors interested in supplying support equipment […]

SANTA FE, N.M. — Residents, advocates and technical experts said here last week that a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) environmental review on plutonium pit production understates risks to water resources, worker safety and communities along transport routes. Some speakers at a Thursday May 14 public hearing in Santa Fe also said NNSA is failing […]

An Iranian withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) could destabilize the Middle East nonproliferation regime and prompt regional states to reconsider their treaty commitments, Iran scholar Sina Azodi said this week. Speaking at a Monday event hosted by the Stimson Center and moderated by former Iran task force leader Barbara […]

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said it completed the first phase of its Kansas City Non-Nuclear Expansion Transformation (KC NeXT) at its Kansas City National Security Campus. “In a rapidly changing national security environment, modernizing the enterprise to be more adaptive, agile, responsive, and resilient is more critical than ever before,” […]

Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) criticized the omission of funding for the nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile from the fiscal 2027 budget request, warning the absence of appropriated funding could jeopardize the Navy’s ability to meet a congressionally mandated deadline. Speaking to Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao on Tuesday during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Fischer […]

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) completed the first production unit (FPU) of the W76/Mk4B reentry body for the Navy’s submarine-launched ballistic missile warhead, the agency said Wednesday. The first unit was produced nearly three months ahead of schedule, according to an email from NNSA. The Mk4B reentry body, developed in coordination […]

The House Appropriations Committee passed 34-25 its version of a bill on Wednesday that would give $27 billion to the Department of Energy’s semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) for fiscal 2027. That number is $1.67 billion more than was enacted for the agency in charge of maintaining the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile in fiscal […]

Shipments to the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) appear to be back in full swing, with the facility receiving 55 waste shipments in April.  That’s the highest total since the 61 shipments of defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste that WIPP received in September 2025. It was also higher than the 47 it received […]

The proposed fiscal 2027 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill drew criticism from top Democratic appropriators over a $282 million reduction to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation account. During debate at Wednesday’s full Appropriations committee markup, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, argued the proposed 12% […]

The House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee passed by voice vote its version of a bill that would give $27 billion to the Department of Energy’s semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) for fiscal 2027. That number is $1.67 billion more than was enacted for the agency in charge of maintaining the nation’s nuclear weapons […]

Ted Wyka, the manager at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Los Alamos Field Office, is retiring at the end of June, sources told the Exchange Monitor at a hearing in Santa Fe, N.M. Prior to his manager role, Wyka was NNSA’s principal deputy associate administrator for safety, infrastructure and operations, and NNSA’s cognizant secretarial officer […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said last week it successfully transferred 1.7 metric tons of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) from Japan to the United States, reportedly the largest international transfer in the agency’s history. NNSA teamed up with Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, according to […]

The Department of Energy’s Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) is in jeopardy of ceasing operations due to its aging facility and spent fuel storage nearing its capacity, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a May 7 report. The GAO recommended that DOE complete its evaluation of the Idaho Operations Office’s research and test reactor spent […]

The Department of Energy said Tuesday the Idaho National Laboratory recently made its first shipment of remote-handled transuranic (TRU) waste to DOE’s underground disposal site in New Mexico for the first time since 2014. Workers from Amentum-led contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition made the remote-handled transuranic waste shipment on April 21, according to DOE. The shipments […]

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has unveiled a new public website that should be easier to use.  “This update is part of a broader effort to improve transparency and accessibility for Congress, stakeholders, and the public—and to make it easier to quickly find our work, understand current issues, and navigate key materials across […]

WASHINGTON — Brandon Williams, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, said Wednesday the agency is rebidding the contract for Savannah River Site due to a “not acceptable” performance on the pit production program. “We are rebidding the contract because we agree with you that the timeline and the budget is not acceptable,” Williams said […]

WASHINGTON — Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday the United States need not resume explosive nuclear testing, though he and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) head Brandon Williams acknowledged the president could choose to do so for reasons beyond technical necessity. Both officials’ answers were prompted by sharp questioning from Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) during […]

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) pressed Energy Secretary Chris Wright recently over the Department of Energy’s decision to redirect funding intended for the Savannah River Site to weapons production efforts at Los Alamos National Laboratory. During a Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development subcommittee hearing in late April, Graham said $149 million appropriated through reconciliation for […]

Russia said Tuesday it successfully tested a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile and plans to field the weapon later this year, a move that came as ceasefire efforts in Ukraine appeared increasingly strained. The country had carried out a successful test of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, according to comments made during a meeting with Strategic […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Naval Reactors could save billions of dollars and 15 years of cleanup time partnering with the Office of Environmental Management to clean up retired nuclear propulsion facilities, says the Government Accountability Office (GAO).  A report from the agency last week said the Office of Naval Reactors, which is responsible […]