Former Chinese officials reportedly told U.S. counterparts recently that Beijing would not resort to nuclear weapons or threats in a conflict over Taiwan, Reuters reported.
That was one of the takeaways from track two talks — meaning unofficial talks without government representatives — involving half a dozen delegates, mainly former officials and scholars, over the course of two days in Shanghai, the wire service reported. The last instance of Track One talks — or government to government — between China and the U.S. took place in November.
The National Nuclear Security Administration awarded $50 million in funding to two universities to support nonproliferation research, the agency wrote in a press release.
Researchers from the University of Tennessee and the Georgia Institute of Technology will receive $5 million annually for the next five years to work with scientists for 12 of the DOE’s national laboratories.
“These consortia are critical to the future of NNSA’s nuclear security and nonproliferation research and development work,” Jeff Chamberlin, who heads NNSA’s nonproliferation efforts, said in the release. “Once they develop a concept, the national laboratories can iterate and test its capabilities until it’s ready for the private sector to adopt.”
The Department of Energy released a request for proposals for the commercial purchase and production of domestic low-enriched uranium, according to a press release from the agency.
Responses to the $2.7 billion request are due by August 27, according to a solicitation posted online.
“DOE is helping jumpstart uranium enrichment capacity here in the United States, which is critical to strengthening our national security and growing our domestic nuclear industry,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in the agency’s release.
Industry professionals at a panel at the Exchange Monitor’s Nuclear Energy Security Summit that included DOE deputy assistant secretary for nuclear fuel cycle Dr. Jon Carmack also advocated for domestic low-enriched uranium following the recent enactment of a U.S. ban on importing Russian uranium.
Mark Peters, an experienced national lab executive, will succeed Jason Providakes as president and CEO of MITRE, a Virginia-based non-profit research organization, the organization said in a Thursday press release.
Peters is an expert in nuclear fuel cycle technology, waste management, and national security, and is currently executive vice president for laboratory operations at Battelle Memorial Institute, according to the release. Previously, Peters was the director of the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory and president of Battelle Energy Alliance. Peters becomes the new MITRE CEO effective Sept. 3.
“Mark has a clear record of success building collaborative partnerships with industry, academia, and other partners,” Providakes said in the release. “Because of that, he will continue to advance MITRE’s technical expertise and unbiased outlook across government.”
