Nuclear
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Acting Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Kasia Mendelsohn met virtually with the Sudanese Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority on Thursday to discuss Sudan’s efforts to effectively and safely regulate that... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently reintroduced the No First Use Act, which establishes that U.S. policy is not to use nuclear weapons as a means of warfare first.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), chairman of the House Armed... Read More »
President Joe Biden nominated Jill Hruby as under secretary for nuclear security and administrator of the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.
Hruby is a mechanical engineer who joined Sandia National Laboratories as a member of the technical staff in 1983 and... Read More »
Department of Defense (DOD) officials have proceeded with transportable advanced nuclear microreactor prototype design initiatives through two contract options.
Teams led by BWXT Advanced Technologies, LLC, of Lynchburg, Va., and X-energy, LLC, of Greenbelt, Md., were selected from a preliminary... Read More »
A bipartisan group of lawmakers recently introduced a resolution condemning Iran's nuclear weapon pursuits.
Reps. Elaine Luria (D-VA), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Peter Meijer (R-MI), Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), and Brad Schneider (D-IL) joined the resolution in the wake of Iran’s... Read More »
Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) is among lawmakers encouraging the Biden administration to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapon capabilities.
Joyce joined other legislators in forwarding correspondence to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, focusing on three areas of concern: Iran’s nuclear... Read More »
A group of Senators introduced legislation supporting President Joe Biden’s efforts to rejoin the Iran Nuclear Deal, also called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The Iran Diplomacy Act Full says the United States and Iran should promptly return to full compliance with all of... Read More »
A joint document recently released by the Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) and Partnership for Global Security (PGS) defines a comprehensive domestic strategy to advance nuclear power development.
“Clean energy technologies, including advanced nuclear energy, are essential to meet mid-century... Read More »
The Nuclear Threat Initiative applauded the Biden Administration for extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia for an additional five years.
The New START agreement was reached in 2011 with Russia to reduce nuclear arms in both countries. The 10-year agreement was... Read More »
A Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) and Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) report has determined a blueprint for identifying high-risk or illicit nuclear trade activities at scale.
Signals in the Noise: Preventing Nuclear Proliferation with Machine Learning & Publicly Available... Read More »
Laura McGill has been named Sandia National Laboratories deputy labs director and will lead its nuclear deterrence programs to support safety, security, and reliability excellence.
“I’m honored to join Sandia Labs and the tradition of serving the national security mission,” McGill said.... Read More »
The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) delivered its 2021 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan (SSMP) to Congress this week, laying out a specific path to producing 80 plutonium pits annually and delivering first-time production units for various programs.
The... Read More »
Navy officials said the service branch has awarded a $57 million award potentially worth up to $250 million to Northrop Grumman to produce Coyote supersonic sea-skimming target (SSST) vehicles.
The initial 19 vehicles could result in an additional 84 target vehicles, bringing the GQM-163A... Read More »
In a new report, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) warns of the risks related to the digitization and automation upgrade plans for U.S. nuclear weapons systems.
The report, U.S. Nuclear Weapons Modernization: Security and Policy Implications of Integrating Digital Technology, calls on the U.S.... Read More »
Experts from 21 countries, industry, and non-government organizations gathered virtually last month for the 12th meeting of the Global Dialogue on Nuclear Security Priorities - focusing on enhancing nuclear security engagement.
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) indicated the session addressed,... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is expanding a contract with Chrysalis BioTherapeutics, Inc. to pursue the development of TP508, or Chrysalin, a peptide with the potential to counteract injuries resulting from extreme radiation exposure.
Radiation exposure can... Read More »
A new Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and Center for Energy and Security Studies (CENESS) report seeks U.S. and Russia support in sustaining International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) work.
The Future of IAEA Safeguards: Rebuilding the Vienna Spirit through Russian-U.S. Expert Dialogue resulted... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Justice recently filed a complaint regarding the forfeiture of a pair of Iranian missile shipments and petroleum seized from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Navy seized the missiles in transit to militant groups in Yemen while the 1.1 million barrels... Read More »
Army and Northrop Grumman personnel said the recent deployment of enhanced Joint Tactical Ground Station (JTAGS) capabilities in South Korea enables early warning of missile attacks and other events.
“This is a tremendous milestone in our decades-long mission of delivering missile warning and... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) began this month soliciting support for repurposing therapeutics into medical countermeasures against chemical threats.
The organization is now accepting abstract submissions for potential funding through its Division of... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Todd Young (R-IN) are urging the Trump Administration to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia.
The senators said it's vital to preserve the New START agreement for national security and nuclear stability with Russia.... Read More »
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) said the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) has been ratified by 50 nations and will enter into force early next year.
The initiative serves as a call to action, accelerating progression to a world without nuclear weapons.
NTI CEO Ernest J.... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Edward Markey (D-MA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced legislation that seeks to restore oversight of Saudi Arabia’s nuclear capabilities and impede access to technologies that could pave the way to Saudi Arabia’s first nuclear weapon.
The Stopping Activities Underpinning... Read More »
The United States and Canada are working together to improve and better coordinate nuclear safety and security.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for... Read More »
Sandia National Laboratories personnel are espousing the benefits of its Sandia Programs Engineering and Assembly Research (SPEAR) facility, which officials said would expand weapons modernization testing capacity.
Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, administrator of the National Nuclear Security... Read More »
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) plans to replace the W78 nuclear warhead with the W87-1 in 2030 are hamstrung by a lack of formal plans to assess cost, schedule, benefits, or risk, with as much as $14.8 billion on the line, according to the Government Accountability Office... Read More »
Democratic representatives and senators have introduced the No Nuclear Testing Without Approval Act to make nuclear testing dependent on Congressional authorization.
The effort comes from U.S. Reps. Steven Horsford (D-NV), Reps. Susie Lee (D-NV), Ben McAdams (D-UT), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), and TJ... Read More »
After five years of development, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has greenlit an automated, networked radiation detection system known as SIGMA for use by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, promising new protections for the region.
In theory, the system is... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has introduced a new communication network that allows emergency responders to exchange secure real-time voice, data, and video information during nuclear or radiological emergencies.
The Emergency Communications... Read More »
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators sent a letter to President Donald Trump seeking more information on Saudi Arabia’s reported efforts to build “secret nuclear facilities.”
The senators say this development threatens to undermine the international nonproliferation regime and U.S.... Read More »
Findings from a Government Accountability Office (GAO) analysis requested by a pair of lawmakers determined nuclear weapons modernization costs will be larger than estimated unless programs are scaled or scrapped.
Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) requested the GAO... Read More »
The Curtiss-Wright Corp. has secured a U.S. Navy contract in excess of $220 million to support a series of naval defense platforms.
The initiative includes providing propulsion valves, pumps and advanced instrumentation and control systems for the Navy’s Virginia-class nuclear powered attack... Read More »
Progress on protecting nuclear materials and facilities against theft and sabotage has slowed significantly over the past two years, the Nuclear Threat Initiativeʻs 2020 NTI Nuclear Security Index has found.
The decline in the rate of improvement to national regulatory structures and the global... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams (D-UT) announced his support for a bill that would prevent the Trump Administration from restarting explosive nuclear weapons testing.
The Preserving Leadership Against Nuclear Explosives Testing (PLANET) Act (H.R. 7140) was introduced earlier this month by Reps. Dina... Read More »
The Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), which is tasked with supplementing state and local supplies of antibiotics, vaccines and other critical drugs and medical products, woefully needs a revamp to help the nation better prepare and respond to public health emergencies like the current COVID-19... Read More »