Nuclear official says warhead modernization program on track despite COVID, GAO concerns
By: Aaron Mehta  
Updated 7/30/20 at 2:55 PM EST with information about a second GAO report.
WASHINGTON — Replacements for components that caused cost increases and program delays for two multibillion-dollar nuclear warhead programs have passed tests, putting the programs on track for new production dates, according to a top official from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
But Charles Verdon, deputy administrator for defense programs at the NNSA, pushed back Wednesday on a recent report from a government watchdog that warned the agency is moving too fast on another major warhead modernization project.
The issue, found within the B61-12 and W88 Alteration 370 warhead programs, was first revealed by Verdon during last September’s Defense News Conference. It involved commercially available capacitors that, during stress testing, did not give NNSA confidence they could survive the 20-30 years needed for these designs. Verdon emphasized then that the parts were not at risk of failure under normal circumstances, but that the agency was acting out of an abundance of caution for the long-term life of the weapons.
https://www.defensenews.com/smr/nuclear-arsenal/2020/07/29/nuclear-official-says-warhead-modernization-program-on-track-despite-covid-gao-concerns/
