Satellite imagery of Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath’s new construction sparks curiosity about whether there are new U.S. nuclear weapons in the U.K., the Federation of American Scientists said.
According to the Federation, U.S. budget documents show that the upgrades to security at RAF Lakenheath are to “accomodate a nuclear mission,” which “introduce more questions than answers” about the nuclear status of the base and “what its role will be in the NATO nuclear strike mission.”
The Federation of American Scientists is a nonprofit think tank that specializes in scientific analysis with the intent of preventing nuclear and radiological terrorism.
Following published reports that Preston Wells Griffith was being forced out as undersecretary of energy, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced Friday the appointment of Alex Fitzsimmons as acting undersecretary.
“I’m pleased to announce Alex Fitzsimmons, who has served as a critical leader across the department, has been named acting under secretary of energy,” Wright said. “As chief of staff, Alex led the department through the first 100 days of the Administration. He has since led the Department’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), where he oversaw the security and reliability of our nation’s electrical grid, among other important responsibilities.”
Fitzsimmons, like Griffith, served in the first Donald Trump administration. Fitzsimmons has gained considerable clout so far at DOE under Wright. Already this year, Fitzsimmons has served in DOE roles such as chief of staff and cyber security executive.
Bethesda, Md.-based uranium broker and enrichment technology developer Centrus Energy will hold its third quarter earnings call for this year on Nov. 6 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
The company’s third quarter, which ended on Sept. 30, will also be released on Nov. 5 prior to the earnings call with Wall Street analysts. Centrus experienced a decrease in its quarterly earnings last quarter due to a decrease in the volume of uranium sold. However, it reported an increase in revenue for its enrichment technology business with high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU).
Centrus has been busy as of late as the company announced plans on Sept. 25 to expand its uranium enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio in a “multi-billion dollar investment”, it said. The company said the scope of the expansion of the plant is dependent on Department of Energy funding decisions for low-enriched uranium and HALEU.