The U.S. agency that oversees development and maintenance of the nation's nuclear arsenal is moving ahead with plans to modernize production of key components for the weapons, but some watchdog groups and members of Congress are concerned about persistent delays and cost overruns.
The National Nuclear Security Administration released its annual plan on Monday, outlining the multibillion-dollar effort to manufacture plutonium pits, the spherical cores that trigger the explosion in thermonuclear weapons, at national laboratories in New Mexico and South Carolina.
The top priority continues to be restarting production activities given the world's deteriorating security environment, Jill Hruby, head of the nuclear agency, recently told a congressional subcommittee. She pointed to Russia's development of new nuclear weapon delivery systems, China's growing capabilities, and destabilization in North Korea and Iran.
The Biden administration is requesting US$18.8 billion for weapons activities, a 10% increase over spending for the last fiscal year. Modernization of production accounts for US$5.6 billion of the request. Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts suggested during a hearing this month that the NNSA was making up its plan as it goes along and that the timeline would be extended even further.
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