U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday decried Russia’s withdrawal from the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Moscow’s revocation of its ratification of the treaty “represents a significant step in the wrong direction, taking us further from, not closer to, entry into force,” Blinken said in a statement.
President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a bill revoking its participation in the treaty, though that does not mean it will resume explosive nuclear testing, Blinken said, quoting Russian officials.
“Russia’s action will only serve to set back confidence in the international arms control regime. We appreciate the similar statements of concern expressed by many other States in recent weeks about this action,” Blinken said. “The United States remains committed to achieving the entry into force of the CTBT, and we reiterate our commitment to our zero-yield nuclear explosive testing moratorium, which has been in place for 30 years. It is essential that we preserve the global norm against nuclear explosive testing.”
Modernizing the Department of Defense’s aging nuclear weapon delivery systems could cost up to $350 billion over the next 20 years, according to a new “snapshot” of various modernization efforts published by the Government Accountability Office on Oct. 26.
The abbreviated report summarizes GAO’s prior oversight of the military’s nuclear missions and organizations.
“DOD must keep these modernization efforts on track while also supporting ongoing critical missions,” GAO said. “We’ve recommended ways to help DOD improve this oversight, including by clarifying the roles and responsibilities of oversight organizations, establishing methods of communication and coordination among these organizations [and] reporting risks that affect the nuclear mission, such as increased costs or schedule changes.”
The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina has begun site preparation for the new Tritium Finishing Facility (TFF) within the Savannah River Tritium Enterprise, the only U.S. facility capable of preparing tritium for the nuclear weapons stockpile.
The new facility will replace H Area Old Manufacturing (HAOM), a Cold War-era facility that has been in continuous operation since it was built in the 1950s. HAOM hosts reservoir finishing, assembly, inspection and packaging processes, which are the last steps before tritium is ready for use in nuclear weapons.
Site prep will clear the area for construction of the new facility, including demolition of three warehouses and construction of three buildings – one a Hazard Category 2 nuclear facility, one a radiological facility, and one replacement warehouse.
Signatories to the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will hold their second meeting in New York from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, according to the Arms Control Association. They are expected to review and continue implementing their plans for a total ban on nuclear weapons, according to Arms Control Today, a publication of the Arms Control Association.
The treaty, which entered into force on Jan. 22, 2021, bans signatories from the use, threat of use, production, development, possession, or hosting of nuclear weapons.
The treaty “originated from [non-nlucear-armed states’] frustration over the long stalemate among nuclear-weapon states to engage in serious nuclear disarmament as called for by the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty,” the Arms Control Association said.
By day, Chris Landers, a supervisory foreign affairs specialist in NNSA’s Office of Material Management and Minimization is the director of the Office of Conversion, which modifies research reactors from the use of weapons-usable material to non-weapons usable material.
For one night in September, however, he was an instrument of chaos and destruction at the Great Frederick Fair in Maryland. Landers fulfilled a pandemic-inspired dream to participate in a demolition derby. He ended up clenching third place and wrote a poem about it.
“I used to daydream about unleashing all restraints and letting my vehicle loose,” Landers in a lengthy NNSA blog post about his experience, available here. “The pandemic really fueled my passion, I needed an outlet. Once we started work on the car, all I could see was that green flag to start the derby.”
