Energy Department finds lax nuclear weapons maintenance

  • Global Security Newswire
  • April 23, 2004
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An Energy Department investigation has found that the National Nuclear Security Administration repeatedly missed key surveillance and maintenance milestones for its nuclear arsenal, the Albuquerque Journal reported this week.

An inspector general's report also alleged that the "Enhanced Surveillance" program is flawed because the government may not understand the nuclear stockpile's long-term maintenance needs, such as when particular parts must be replaced.

In two examples listed in the report, Los Alamos National Laboratory missed the schedule for making plutonium parts for a study by 19 months, while development of high-resolution X-rays of plutonium parts was 15 months behind schedule at the Pantex weapons plant in Texas.

The Modern Pit Facility, a proposed plutonium factory for manufacturing replacement parts for nuclear weapons, could be among the projects delayed by the agency's difficulties, according to the report.

NNSA officials said the report's central claim is inaccurate, arguing their surveillance effort is on schedule to meet all of its most important milestones, the newspaper reported.

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