The National Nuclear Security Administration will conduct low-altitude helicopter flights Dec. 2-13 over downtown Washington, to detect radiation threats ahead of the 2025 presidential inauguration, the agency said in a press release.
The Nuclear Energy Support Team’s (NEST) aircraft, now a Leonardo AW-139, will scan for background radiation by flying at low levels in the air.
The NNSA’s aerial measuring system aims to frequently support preventative radiation missions in preparation for high-profile events, including the Superbowl, political party conventions, and recently the Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, confirmed on Nov. 22 he will not return to Congress in the next session.
President-elect Trump wanted to install Gaetz as the U.S. attorney general, but the Florida Republican announced on Nov. 21 he was removing himself from consideration as he faced the pending release of a House Ethics report into sexual misconduct allegations and potential opposition to his nomination from some GOP senators.
Gaetz immediately resigned from the current Congress following his nomination and there was some speculation about whether he would return following his re-election. A version of this story first appeared in Exchange Monitor affiliate publication Defense Daily.
The Kremlin Tuesday said it would be “irresponsible” for the U.S. give Ukraine nuclear weapons, according to Reuters. The Russian government said it was responding to a New York Times article in which anonymous government officials suggested that President Joe Biden (D) could give Ukraine nuclear weapons prior to leaving office,
“Several officials even suggested that Mr. Biden could return nuclear weapons to Ukraine that were taken from it after the fall of the Soviet Union,” the Times quoted an anonymous official as saying. “That would be an instant and enormous deterrent. But such a step would be complicated and have serious implications.”
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) supercomputer El Capitan has taken over as the world’s fastest supercomputer, according to an engineering magazine’s top 500 list.
Previously, Oak Ridge’s Frontier was the fastest supercomputer, holding the spot since June 2022 before being dethroned by El Capitan. The National Nuclear Security Administration uses LLNL’s El Capitan to conduct virtual tests of the nuclear stockpile with aims to avoid underground testing.
“As NNSA’s first exascale computer, it represents a pivotal next step in our commitment to ensuring the safety, security, and reliability of our nation’s nuclear stockpile without the need to resume underground nuclear testing,” Corey Hinderstein, acting principal deputy administrator of NNSA, told Interesting Engineering.
According to a press release by the Pentagon Nov. 21, achieving “nuclear deterrence” may require adjustments to the 2022 Nuclear Posture Review.
The Department of Defense and the National Nuclear Security Administration are taking steps to “field capabilities to enhance nuclear deterrence,” such as by planning to produce the B61-13 gravity bomb.
The release also mentioned the nuclear employment guidance, which the DoD submitted a report on to Congress Nov. 15.
