Complicated Restart of Niobium Alloy Production at DoE Could Delay Nuclear Weapons Deliveries, GAO Says

摘要

Future nuclear weapons programs will be delayed if the Department of Energy is not able to produce depleted-uranium-niobium alloy ingots in Oak Ridge, Tenn., in the next three years,according to a report the Government Accountability Office published this week."[A]ny delays beyond that will affect the current schedules of these programs," Congress'investigative arm wrote in the report.The two DoE weapons programs slated to begin production after October 2023 are the W80-4 cruise missile warhead for the planned Long Range Standoff Weapon and the W87-1 intercontinental ballistic missile for the planned Ground Based Strategic Deterrent. The agency's semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) runs the civilian nuclear-weapons portfolio.