Department of Defense releases Nuclear Posture Review Department of Defense | 10/27/2022
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Today, the Department of Defense released the unclassified Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), National Defense
Strategy (NDS), and Missile Defense Review (MDR). For the first time in its history, the Department conducted all major strategic reviews in an integrated way, aligned with the National Security Strategy. By weaving these documents together, the entire Department is matching resources to goals. The 2022 NPR reaffirms that as long as nuclear weapons exist, the fundamental role of U.S. nuclear weapons is to deter nuclear attack on the United States, our Allies, and our partners. The United States would only consider the use of nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances
to defend the vital interests of the United States or its Allies and partners. The NPR takes a comprehensive and balanced approach to defending vital national security interests and reducing nuclear risks while affirming a continuing commitment to a safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent and strong and credible extended deterrence. The 2022 NPR has made the following decisions to ensure a safe, secure, and effective deterrent while taking responsible steps to advance the goal of reducing the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. strategy. This
approach offers a sound path toward sustained security and stable deterrence. - Adopt a strategy and declaratory policy that maintain a very high bar for nuclear employment while assuring Allies and partners, and complicating adversary decision calculus.
- Adopt an integrated deterrence
approach that works to leverage nuclear and non-nuclear capabilities to tailor deterrence under specific circumstances.
- Eliminate “hedge against an uncertain future” as a formal role of nuclear weapons.
- Take steps to strengthen extended deterrence and Allied assurance.
- Pursue enhanced security through arms control, strategic stability, non-proliferation, and reducing the risks of miscalculation.
- Affirm full-scope Triad replacement and other nuclear modernization programs, including NC3.
- Retire the B83-1 gravity bomb.
- Cancel the nuclear-armed Sea-Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM-N) program.
- Deliver a modern, adaptive nuclear security enterprise based on an integrated strategy for risk management, production-based resilience, science and
technology innovation, and workforce initiatives.
The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) was a key collaborator in the 2022 NPR. As the steward of the Nation’s nuclear stockpile and a global leader in nonproliferation and
arms control, NNSA has an important role to play in meeting the Administration’s goals, in close coordination with interagency partners. As detailed in the 2022 NPR, NNSA’s priorities to support President Biden’s nuclear strategy include: - Delivering on stockpile modernization programs to provide our Nation’s nuclear deterrent and support strong, credible extended deterrence commitments to our allies and partners;
- Recapitalizing the Nuclear Security Enterprise—including the infrastructure, production capabilities, and science and technology base—to ensure a safe, secure, and effective nuclear stockpile and afford the Nation the ability to adapt to changes in the security environment;
- Increasing investment in capabilities to support future arms control, risk reduction, and strategic stability
initiatives when conditions allow;
- Denying non-state actors’ access to nuclear materials and related technology and disrupting attempts to commit acts of nuclear terrorism; and
- Recruiting and retaining the highly skilled and adaptive NSE workforce critical to fulfilling our stockpile mission and delivering the full range of NNSA’s
nonproliferation, nuclear forensics, counterterrorism, and arms control efforts.
Information on the strategic reviews can be found at https://www.defense.gov/National-Defense-Strategy/. The National Defense Strategy, Nuclear Posture Review, and Missile Defense Review can be found at https://www.defense.gov/News/Publications/.
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Small modular reactor advocates see opportunity in former US coal towns S&P Global | 10/25/22 Swapping coal-fired generating stations with nuclear power plants could be a win-win for utilities and coal towns, minimizing costs and creating jobs, according to industry experts. The opportunity to bring new energy investment to coal
communities arose Oct. 24 at two nuclear energy events hosted by the American Nuclear Society and the Atlantic Council. That prospect may be closer to reality thanks to small modular reactors, or SMRs, a new type of reactor built in a factory and assembled on-site. A recent U.S. Department of Energy study identified over 250 GW of coal units, operating and retired, that could be converted into nuclear power plants. The study, based on NuScale Power Corp.'s SMR design, also estimated each conversion would add about 650 jobs to the host community. "Coal plants have been the cornerstones of many, many communities in the same way nuclear
plants have," Carol Lane, X-Energy LLC's vice president of government relations, said at the American Nuclear Society panel. The difference, Lane added, is that conventional nuclear power plants are often sited further away from community and industrial centers than coal plants. However, "with SMRs, we're able to base them closer to the community," Lane said. The technology has a smaller footprint than today's commercial reactors and can be deployed as a stand-alone unit, providing power to a single manufacturing facility or in
small clusters as a grid-scale power plant. Coal-to-nuclear advantage Building a nuclear power plant in an old coal town still has several advantages over building a nuclear plant from scratch, according to panelists. The first is local buy-in. "When you talk to coal communities that have been working in a power facility for their entire life [about] waste and safety, you're generally over that conversation in about 10 minutes," NuScale CEO John Hopkins said at a nuclear energy conference hosted by the Atlantic Council. "For them, it's about jobs. High-paying jobs." The Inflation Reduction Act has also incentivized investment in
what the Biden administration calls "energy communities," or communities with an economy revolving around the fossil fuel industry. The recently signed act provides tax credits for nuclear and other clean energy projects, with those incentives set to increase by 10% for projects located in energy communities. Continue reading >>
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Interactive guide for communities and governments to help navigate nuclear waste cleanup The Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) recently released the Guide to Successful Environmental Cleanup, an interactive online resource that provides frequently asked questions, case studies, and recommendations regarding nuclear waste cleanup. To assist local government officials, their communities, and federal agencies in deciphering the
complexities of the environmental cleanup process, ECA developed this guide to facilitate future successful cleanups. |
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Stay Current on Activities in the DOE World
Read the latest edition of the ECA Bulletin, a regular newsletter providing a detailed brief of ECA activities, legislative news, and major events from across the DOE complex. Have suggestions for future editions? Email bulletin@energyca.org.
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Learn More about Cleanup Sites with ECA's DOE Site Profiles ECA's new site profiles detail DOE's active Environmental Management cleanup sites and national laboratories,
highlighting their history, missions, and priorities. The profiles are a key source for media, stakeholders, and the public to learn more about DOE site activities, contractors, advisory boards, and their surrounding local governments. |
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