Topics in this issue include nuclear submarine contracts, samples from a suspected Iranian nuclear experimentation site, chemical and biological weapons analysis from CNS, Fukushima disaster study conclusions, and more…
In This Article
U.S. Navy Awards General Dynamics 322M for Nuclear-Submarine Support Work
Under this option, GD Electric Boat will provide design, engineering, material and logistics support, and research and development activities for active U.S. submarines and submersibles. Electric Boat also will provide information services, planning, scheduling and technical support for submarine maintenance and modernization activities, training and facility support, and cost reduction support. Government Security News >>
Atomic Agency Defends How Iran Collected Evidence at Secret Base
The director general of the IAEA said this week that Iran had turned over samples from a suspected site of nuclear experimentation, but confirmed that they had been collected by Iranians under the watchful eye of surveillance devices, rather than by outside nuclear inspectors. NY Times >>
CNS Deepens Background of USG Personnel in Chemical, Biological Weapons
Covering the history of state-level CBW programs, the latest technological developments with the potential for misuse, and recent developments in Syria and Iraq, among other critical topics, CNS recently provided twenty-five mid-level US officials a condensed, yet wide-ranging review of these proliferation and security issues. Center for Nonproliferation Studies >>
Successful Tests May Lead to Faster Creation of New Nuclear Fuels
Idaho National Laboratory recently completed the first successful test of fabrication equipment in the Experimental Fuels Facility (EFF), completing the first extrusions of depleted uranium — a process of shaping material by forcing it through a die. The test serves to restore a metallic fuel fabrication capability that has not been used in the United States since the 1980s. HSNW >>
Fukushima Disaster Was Preventable: Study
Researchers distilled thousands of pages of government and industry reports and hundreds of news stories, focusing on the run-up to the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in 2011. They found that “arrogance and ignorance,” design flaws, regulatory failures, and improper hazard analyses doomed the coastal nuclear power plant even before the tsunami hit. HSNW >>
A Federal Agency’s Journey to Protect Its Workforce from Infectious Diseases
Prior to 2009, DHS struggled to provide the department’s component agencies useful guidance for specific biological hazards due to the diverse missions and the legacy capabilities and processes brought to the department when it formed in 2003. As a result, DHS-wide contingency plans were sometimes too vague to provide robust guidance or provided an onerous “one-size-fits-all” approach that was ill suited to the complex missions and unique missions performed within the department. Domestic Preparedness >>
FLIR Releases Enhanced Mobile Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Instrument
The new model will replaces its predecessor, the Griffin 400, with improved features, lighter weight and increased precision. With a new design that is typically 35% lighter than existing market offerings, the compact Griffin 410 is fully self-contained with a built-in shock isolation system designed and tested to MIL-STD-810G for in-field operation. CBRNe World >>
Explosive Devices Found Outside Liverpool Home
Police were called to the residence following reports that fire had damaged the front door of a house. It had been caused by an explosive device and a second device was found outside the property, police said. The Army’s explosives disposal team removed the device and the road remains closed as an investigation continues. BBC News >>
Russia’s Chemical Weapon Destruction Continues
According to a Russian military officer, a total of 5,500 tonnes of toxic agents within more than 1.9 million chemical artillery munitions have been destroyed at Shchuchye, the fifth of seven scheduled Russian arsenals to have destroyed all stockpiles of chemical weapons. CBRNe World >>