Cold War nuclear facilities hammered and sickled out

The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces held a hearing to consider the National Nuclear Security Administration’s plan for modernizing the nuclear weapons complex. Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) said the Stockpile Stewardship Program, which maintains the nation’s nuclear weapons, is very successful, but its maintenance is scarcely considered. She said that as facilities of the Manhattan Project era crumble, America’s nuclear policies require updating.

Thomas D’Agostino, Under Secretary for Nuclear Security at the National Nuclear Security Administration said the U.S. is the only nuclear-armed state that is not modernizing its facilities. He said the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile was reduced by half during the Bush administration, so facilities need to be modernized and streamlined. He said a single planned facility in Tennessee would replace several aging Cold War era buildings. He said outdated facilities that handle Uranium and Plutonium pose safety concerns and are very expensive to maintain due to their large sizes. The NNSA plans to build new facilities to reduce square footage and increase efficiency.