New Mexico Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall on Tuesday introduced a resolution that calls on the secretary of the Navy to name the next nuclear submarine the “USS Los Alamos” in honor of the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s contributions to the service.
The senators’ press release noted that 2018 will be the 75th anniversary of the founding of the nuclear weapons lab, which during the Manhattan Project “also provided the technical understanding in nuclear energy that led to the Naval Propulsion Program.”
“Los Alamos and the United States Navy have maintained a strong bond since the dawn of the nuclear age,” Udall said in a statement. “It is a bond that has strengthened our national security and helped bolster science and technology in New Mexico and around the world. A submarine named USS Los Alamos would speak to this strong history and would be a formidable force when underway.”
Last May, Heinrich and Udall, along with several members of the House of Representatives, wrote a letter to then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus asking that he support a “citizen-based initiative” to honor the legacy of the lab in naming a future nuclear-powered submarine.
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is soliciting statements of interest from parties that would like to join the facility in a potential bid to support the development of a radiological/nuclear detonation response plan for the state of California, according to a notice posted last week.
The notice said the California Emergency Management Agency released a request for proposals early this month for work on its statewide response plan, and that “LLNL seeks to offer its scientific expertise and/or capabilities in this technical area to provide the scientific and technical support” in developing this plan.
The state agency said in its RFP that the emergency response plan – in the event of a nuclear attack – would “guide response efforts from immediately following detonation through the rapid response phase of protecting the public from exposure and dangerous levels of radiation.” This includes a plan for the deployment of “whole community resources,” including the support of local, state, and federal government.
Bidders must have performed emergency management duties and disaster planning for a minimum of five years, the RFP said. Proposals to the state agency are due by 3 p.m. March 21, with a contract award set for April 21. The period of performance will be roughly 18 months after the contract is executed, with a possible 12-month extension, the RFP said.
Those interested in working with LLNL on this bid must send a written statement of interest, including a description of corporate expertise in this technical area, by March 31 to Brooke Buddemeier at [email protected].
From The Wires
From The New York Times: Lt. Gen. Jack Weinstein, Air Force deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, says “much more aggressive” behavior by Russia demonstrates the need for modernizing the U.S. nuclear deterrent.
From The Associated Press: The Air Force continues to reduce its counts of deployed ICBMs to meet the terms of the U.S.-Russian New START accord.
From YouTube: Declassified film of atmospheric nuclear test explosions conducted by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
From the Los Angeles Times: Staffing shortfalls and other problems at the Department of Energy office that transports nuclear weapons.
From National Defense: The cost of the new Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine could curb the President Donald Trump’s plans to expand the U.S. navy fleet.
From The Hill: U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, also warns about the effects of nuclear arms spending on other areas of the Pentagon budget.
