National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has launched a restricted data environment with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in what the agency says is the first “cloud” platform authorized across the enterprise to process classified nuclear weapons information. The cloud environment – a virtual space where resources are hosted by a third party and access over […]

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration finished a key project to shrink the area inside the fence at the Y-12 National Security Complex at the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee. NNSA said Friday that the West End Protected Area Reduction (WEPAR) Project is expected to save $300 to $500 million through a reduction […]

The Pike County, Ohio General Health District wants Congress to extend coverage under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to residents in areas around the Department of Energy’s Portsmouth Site. Localities around DOE’s Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant complex were not included in the last RECA expansion, which became part of the so-called One Big Beautiful […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has launched a restricted data environment with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in what the agency says is the first “cloud” platform authorized across the enterprise to process classified nuclear weapons information. The cloud environment – a virtual space where resources are hosted by a third party and access over […]

Plenty of nuclear amendments proposed for House 2027 energy & water bill As of Monday afternoon, it appears no date has been set for the full House of Representatives to take up the House Appropriations Committee version of the fiscal 2027 Energy & Water Development bill, which was considered by the House Rules Committee last […]

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration finished a key project to shrink the area inside the fence at the Y-12 National Security Complex at the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee. NNSA said Friday that the West End Protected Area Reduction (WEPAR) Project is expected to save $300 to $500 million through a reduction […]

The Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority have agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on fusion technology. The MOU builds on the King Charles III address to the joint meeting of Congress in Washington, D.C. in April, according to the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority’s […]

Two branches of the Department of Energy have, together with international partners, finished removing all leftover highly enriched uranium from Venezuela’s old RV-1 research reactor. DOE’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the Office of Environmental Management (EM) and the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina participated in the U.S. effort, according to a […]

A Department of Energy-funded initiative involving Y-12 National Security Complex, Nevada National Security Site and Kansas City National Security Campus aims to create a new pathway for transferring niche technologies to smaller businesses that can support national security missions. The two-year project, known as Bolstering Underutilized Industry by Leveraging Technology Transfer, or BUILTT, is funded […]

The Department of Energy has approved a move to streamline U.S. civil nuclear exports to Thailand, easing regulatory requirements for American companies seeking to engage in nuclear energy projects in the country. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright signed a determination adding Thailand to the list of destinations eligible for “generally authorized” transfers of unclassified civil […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) unveiled a new artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled flight test vehicle the agency says demonstrates the ability to accelerate the development of national security technologies. NNSA said in a June 24 press release its proof-of-concept vehicle, dubbed Aires Tide, was developed using AI, high-performance computing and additive manufacturing techniques to move […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) unveiled a new artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled flight test vehicle the agency says demonstrates the ability to accelerate the development of national security technologies. NNSA said in a June 24 press release its proof-of-concept vehicle, dubbed Aires Tide, was developed using AI, high-performance computing and additive manufacturing techniques to move […]

Two branches of the Department of Energy have, together with international partners, finished removing all leftover highly enriched uranium from Venezuela’s old RV-1 research reactor. DOE’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the Office of Environmental Management (EM) and the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina participated in the U.S. effort, according to a […]

A Department of Energy-funded initiative involving Y-12 National Security Complex, Nevada National Security Site and Kansas City National Security Campus aims to create a new pathway for transferring niche technologies to smaller businesses that can support national security missions. The two-year project, known as Bolstering Underutilized Industry by Leveraging Technology Transfer, or BUILTT, is funded […]

Former senior National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) official Frank Rose said in a podcast the agency may require structural reforms to meet mounting mission demands. Formerly NNSA’s principal deputy administrator during the Joe Biden era, Rose’s public comments on the nuclear enterprise are some of his most detailed since his 2024 departure amid legal disputes […]

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, […]

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 […]

A construction company has broken ground on an $11 million procurement warehouse for the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Program (SRPPF).  Hensel Phelps, the general contractor for the facility, said in its June 12  news release that the warehouse will be 22,000 square feet and is slated for completion in March 2027. The warehouse will provide […]

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 state of New Mexico has rejected the latest hazardous waste permit renewal application for the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory, citing among other things deficiencies related to oversight of PFAS, sometimes called “forever chemicals.”  Concerns over explosive waste treatment operations and legacy waste management, were also cited by the New Mexico Environment […]

Florida-based nuclear startup AMPERA’s established an Australia-based subsidiary to streamline the use of thorium from Australia to fuel its “factory-built, scalable, supercritical nuclear energy system’, the company said Tuesday. According to AMPERA’s press release, these efforts build off the framework the U.S. government announced with Australia to secure supply for mining and processing critical, rare […]

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 […]

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 […]

The state of New Mexico has rejected the latest hazardous waste permit renewal application for the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory, citing among other things deficiencies related to oversight of PFAS, sometimes called “forever chemicals.”  Concerns over explosive waste treatment operations and legacy waste management, were also cited by the New Mexico Environment […]

Oklo has bought Oak Ridge, Tenn.-based manufacturing and engineering company ARMEC to expand its own internal reactor and fuel manufacturing capabilities, the company said on Monday. California-based Oklo said in a press release that the acquisition, closed on June 4, highlights the company’s broader strategy of “integrating critical execution capabilities closer to its reactor, fuel […]

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 […]

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 […]