National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
The NNSA is the semi-autonomous DOE agency responsible for the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, naval reactor propulsion, and nuclear nonproliferation programs. Reporting covers warhead life extension, plutonium pit production, site contracts, budget requests, and the agency’s laboratory and production plant complex.
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Transuranic Waste
Triad looks for better equipment to scan TRU drums
Triad National Security is looking to buy a better instrument for taking gamma measurements of transuranic (TRU) waste drums ultimately expected to end up at the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, N.M. Triad, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) prime contractor for the Los Alamos National Laboratory, is seeking something […]
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Transuranic Waste
Triad looks for better equipment to scan TRU drums
Triad National Security is looking to buy a better instrument for taking gamma measurements of transuranic (TRU) waste drums ultimately expected to end up at the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, N.M. Triad, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) prime contractor for the Los Alamos National Laboratory, is seeking something […]
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Innovation & Infrastructure
DOE launches Genesis consortium
The Department of Energy said Monday it launched a consortium, or public-private partnership, to support the Donald Trump administration’s Genesis Mission in using artificial intelligence (AI) to expedite research and strengthen national security. According to DOE’s press release, the consortium will feature capabilities from DOE, the national laboratories, the private sector and academic institutions. The […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Kim Budil: NNSA regulatory reform occurring at ‘breathtaking’ speed
ARLINGTON, VA. – The current administration is taking “meaningful action on regulatory reform” on a “breathtaking” timeline at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), according to Kim Budil, director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. “So I think the biggest thing for us has been the meaningful action on regulatory reform,” Budil said on a panel […]
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Warhead & Weapons Development
DOE branches lay groundwork for future Y-12 work, NNSA exec says
ARLINGTON, VA — Two sister entities within the Department of Energy, the Office of Environmental Management and the semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), are setting the stage for future work at the Y-12 National Security Complex at Oak Ridge, Tenn. That’s according to NNSA Y-12 field office manager Mary Helen Hitson at Exchange Monitor’s […]
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National Laboratories
STRATCOM commander mentions national labs as one of five threat factors
ARLINGTON, VA. – In his debut public address as Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), Adm. Richard Correll told Exchange Monitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit the national labs were one of “five significant threat vectors” of concern for STRATCOM. “The way I think about it, and I hope I came across in my remarks, is […]
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Warhead & Weapons Development
DOE branches lay groundwork for future Y-12, NNSA exec says
ARLINGTON, VA — Two sister entities within the Department of Energy, the Office of Environmental Management and the semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), are setting the stage for future work at the Y-12 National Security Complex at Oak Ridge, Tenn. That’s according to NNSA Y-12 field office manager Mary Helen Hitson at Exchange Monitor’s […]
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Innovation & Infrastructure
Nuclear complex fights to attract, keep skilled workers
ARLINGTON, VA – For sites in the Department of Energy’s nuclear complex recruiting electricians and skilled craftspeople is a big task – and keeping them can be another. This was a key theme to emerge during a Tuesday Jan. 27 panel discussion here at Exchange Monitor’s annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit. Senior managers from National Nuclear […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
DOE to restart uranium recovery at SRS
The Department of Energy said Wednesday it will resume uranium recovery operations at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, utilizing the H-Canyon facility. The uranium recovery work will help recover key isotopes that are currently hard to obtain in the United States and support scientific research as well as medical applications and commercial uses, […]
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Innovation & Infrastructure
Nuclear complex fights to attract, keep skilled workers
ARLINGTON, VA – For sites in the Department of Energy’s nuclear complex recruiting electricians and skilled craftspeople is a big task – and keeping them can be another. This was a key theme to emerge during a Tuesday Jan. 27 panel discussion here at Exchange Monitor’s annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit. Senior managers from National Nuclear […]
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Innovation & Infrastructure
Nuclear complex fights to attract, keep skilled workers
ARLINGTON, VA – For sites in the Department of Energy’s nuclear complex recruiting electricians and skilled craftspeople is a big task – and keeping them can be another. This was a key theme to emerge during a Tuesday Jan. 27 panel discussion here at Exchange Monitor’s annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit. Senior managers from National Nuclear […]
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National Laboratories
STRATCOM commander mentions national labs as one of five threat factors
ARLINGTON, VA. – In his debut public address as Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), Adm. Richard Correll told Exchange Monitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit the national labs were one of “five significant threat vectors” of concern for STRATCOM. “The way I think about it, and I hope I came across in my remarks, is […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Kim Budil: NNSA regulatory reform occurring at ‘breathtaking’ speed
The current administration is taking “meaningful action on regulatory reform” on a “breathtaking” timeline at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), according to Kim Budil, director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. “So I think the biggest thing for us has been the meaningful action on regulatory reform,” Budil said on a panel at Exchange Monitor’s […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
Shipbuilding leads General Dynamics to solid fourth quarter
Led by its shipbuilding segment, General Dynamics (GD) last week posted solid fourth quarter results to cap off a strong fiscal year. Net income in the quarter was flat at $1.1 billion and earnings per share (EPS) of $4.17 were two cents higher than a year ago due to a lower outstanding share count, according […]
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Data Centers & Energy Demand
RFP for Savannah River data centers closed, proposals being assessed
ARLINGTON, VA – Proposals are being assessed for contractors looking to build and power artificial intelligence (AI) data centers at Savannah River Site, the site’s field manager said in a panel on a snowy first day of Exchange Monitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit. Due to inclement weather, Brandon Williams, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Wrap up: NNSA not consulted on SLCM-N for Trump-class battleships; NNSA aerial flight assessment of Super Bowl; Babcock CEO retiring; Minuteman III convoy
Kim Budil, director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, said the Donald Trump administration did not consult the lab or the National Nuclear Security Administration on using the nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N) in the future Trump-class battleships. Bradley Wallin, Deputy Director of Strategic Deterrence at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, also told the Monitor he did […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Centrus prepares to expand Oak Ridge manufacturing plant
Centrus Energy plans to expand its manufacturing plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn. at an investment of more than $560 million, according to the company’s Jan. 23 press release. The Bethesda, Md.-based uranium broker said the expansion of the Oak Ridge manufacturing plant supports its plans to expand the uranium enrichment plant at the Department of […]
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Stockpile Stewardship
NNSA completes 13 tritium extractions in nine months, new record
The Department of Energy’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) completed a record of 13 tritium extractions between fiscal 2025 and 2026, the agency said Jan. 23. This extraction amount was completed in nine months, the agency’s press release said. The previous record was eight extractions in 12 months between fiscal 2022 and 2023. “This […]
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Data Centers & Energy Demand
RFP for Savannah River data centers closed, proposals being assessed
ARLINGTON, VA – Proposals are being assessed for contractors looking to build and power artificial intelligence (AI) data centers at Savannah River Site, the site’s field manager said in a panel on a snowy first day of Exchange Monitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit. Due to inclement weather, Brandon Williams, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
NNSA No. 2 committed to a “two-site solution” for pits, needs SRS support
ARLINGTON, VA – Scott Pappano, Principal Deputy Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), said Tuesday that Savannah River can still play a “supporting role” in pit production between now and the completion of its pit production facility. Pappano gave a keynote on the second day of Exchange Monitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit. NNSA must […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
NNSA shifting to a “culture of urgency” and “production mindset”
ARLINGTON, VA – The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is embracing a culture of urgency and shifting from a scientific to production mindset, according to Administrator Brandon Williams Tuesday in his day 2 keynote at Exchange Monitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit. “Urgency requires a fundamental, fundamental shift in how we work,” Williams said of the Department […]
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Innovation & Infrastructure
Charles Ball appointed head of AI, Genesis Mission at NNSA
ARLINGTON, VA – Charles Ball was named the lead for the Genesis Mission at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the agency’s head Brandon Williams said Tuesday in his keynote at Exchange Monitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit. The Genesis Mission is an executive order from November by President Donald Trump which calls for a national effort […]
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Innovation & Infrastructure
Kiewit exec: NNSA infrastructure must be overhauled swiftly, safely
ARLINGTON, VA -The Department of Energy’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and its contractors must modernize key infrastructure quickly, a Kiewit Nuclear executive said here Monday. “We are at an inflection point,” Mike Rinehart, president of Kiewit Nuclear Solutions, told Exchange Monitor’s annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit Monday afternoon. “The nuclear security enterprise is expected […]
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Contracts & Procurement
NNSA issues draft RFP for Savannah River Site ops
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Tuesday issued the much-anticipated draft solution for management and operation of the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina. The draft request for proposals (RFP) said bidders will be encouraged to offer updated technical approaches to making plutonium pits at the complex. According to a Jan. 27 procurement document, […]
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Data Centers & Energy Demand
Supporting host communities key to data center success, NDS told
ARLINGTON, VA – To garner support for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers on federal land, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) should “state its value propositions” early on, Senior Director at Microsoft Federal Bryan Lopez said here Wednesday. Lopez told Exchange Monitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit that this goes a long way in helping hyperscalers consider […]
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Data Centers & Energy Demand
RFP for Savannah River data centers closed, proposals being assessed
ARLINGTON, VA – Proposals are being assessed for contractors looking to build and power artificial intelligence (AI) data centers at the De[artment of Energy’s Savannah River Site, the site’s field manager said in a panel on a snowy first day of Exchange Monitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit. In September 2025, DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) […]
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Innovation & Infrastructure
Kiewit exec: NNSA infrastructure must be overhauled swiftly, safely
ARLINGTON, VA -The Department of Energy’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and its contractors must modernize key infrastructure quickly, a Kiewit Nuclear executive said here Monday. “We are at an inflection point,” Mike Rinehart, president of Kiewit Nuclear Solutions, told Exchange Monitor’s annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit Monday afternoon. “The nuclear security enterprise is expected […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
Director says LANL exceeds pit production objectives
ARLINGTON, VA – The National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Los Alamos National Laboratory “exceeded all” objectives for producing the fissile cores of the nation’s nuclear weapons, the lab’s director Thom Mason told the Exchange Monitor Monday at the Nuclear Deterrence Summit. NNSA produced a “diamond-stamped,” or war-reserve quality, first production unit of a W87-1 plutonium […]
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Data Centers & Energy Demand
Supporting host communities key to data center success, NDS told
ARLINGTON, VA – To garner support for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers on federal land, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) should “state its value propositions” early on, Senior Director at Microsoft Federal Bryan Lopez said here Wednesday. Lopez told Exchange Monitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit that this goes a long way in helping hyperscalers consider […]
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Innovation & Infrastructure
Charles Ball appointed head of AI, Genesis Mission at NNSA
ARLINGTON, VA – Charles Ball was named the lead for the Genesis Mission at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the agency’s head Brandon Williams said Tuesday in his keynote at Exchange Monitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit. The Genesis Mission is an executive order from November by President Donald Trump which calls for a national effort […]












