NATIONAL LABS
Federal memo urges increased plutonium pit production at LANL
The memo was released last week by the watchdog Los Alamos Study Group
The National Nuclear Security Administration鈥檚 deputy administrator for defense programs argued in a memo this month that Los Alamos National Laboratory should increase its annual production of plutonium pits.
鈥淪trategic deterrence is as critical to U.S. national security today as it has been at any point in history,鈥� David E. Beck wrote in the , sent to more than two dozen officials, including LANL Director Thom Mason. 鈥淥ur adversaries are advancing their capabilities in key nuclear domains, eroding traditional sources of the 近距离内射合集 States鈥� strategic advantage.鈥�
The memo was released last week by the Los Alamos Study Group, a LANL watchdog.
鈥淭he memo outlines the Trump administration鈥檚 plans to accelerate design and production of nuclear weapons,鈥� said Greg Mello, executive director, in an interview with the Journal on Friday. 鈥淣NSA has been told to go fast and get ready.鈥�
The federal Department of Energy describes plutonium pits as a key part of nuclear warheads, which are spherical shells of plutonium about the size of bowling balls.
NNSA on its webpage says that, for various factors, including plutonium aging, these pits need to be replaced from time to time. But for three decades, the U.S. has not been able to produce them in quantities required for the nuclear weapons stockpile.
The agency is statutorily required to produce no fewer than 80 pits annually by 2030. The agency wants to recapitalize facilities at LANL and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina to increase pit production.
Mello said increased production of the plutonium pits raises environmental and safety issues as it would lead to 鈥渕ore transportation of plutonium waste products.鈥�
鈥淟os Alamos National Lab and NNSA are loosening the safety rules,鈥� Mello said.
A LANL spokesperson declined to respond to Mello鈥檚 comments and directed questions about the memo to the NNSA. The administration did not respond to an email seeking comment.
LANL produced the first plutonium pits as part of the Manhattan Project in 1945, its website notes. But it limited pit production for research purposes after World War II, and the Rocky Flats plant near Denver took up plutonium pit production during much of the Cold War.
The Colorado facility closed in 1989 after the FBI and Environmental Protection Agency raided it over environmental contamination. From 2007 to 2011, LANL ran a short production campaign to support the W88 warhead.
LANL鈥檚 PF-4 facility 鈥渃urrently contains the sole U.S. pit production capability and will reach its 50-year life before 2030,鈥� NNSA says.
Beck鈥檚 memo calls for the completion of 鈥渘ear-term鈥� modifications to the LANL pit facility to enable the production of 100 pits and achieve a sustained production rate of at least 60 pits per year. As that work occurs at LANL, Beck in the memo called for the Savannah River Site to 鈥渇acilitate expanded pit production at LANL until the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility achieves full operations.鈥�
鈥淧its are to be qualified by being produced using qualified processes, equipment, and staff rather than each pit being independently evaluated and qualified,鈥� the memo adds.
Following his nomination, that he has over 40 years of experience in the nuclear weapons complex, seven of which were spent at LANL as the associate director for weapons and engineering and as a principal deputy for its weapons programs.
His memo advocated for accelerated development of long-range, nuclear-armed cruise missiles, sea-launched cruise missiles, the B61-13 thermonuclear gravity bomb and for the completion of 鈥渞equired initial flight tests of the W93 and W87-1 warheads, achieving test objectives and readiness to proceed to subsequent development phases.鈥�
Those warheads are used by the U.S. Navy鈥檚 ballistic submarine force.
鈥淥ur overarching imperative is to forge a nuclear security enterprise with the agility and resilience to prevail in an era of renewed great power competition,鈥� the memo said. 鈥淥nly such an enterprise will be able to field a more diverse, flexible, and effective deterrent on a timeline that influences our adversaries鈥� calculus surrounding the use of force against the 近距离内射合集 States and its allies.鈥�
Justin Horwath covers tech and energy for the Journal. You can reach him at jhorwath@abqjournal.com.
