After Years of Neglect, America Is Making Nuclear Materials Again

[Marlin]

After Years of Neglect, America Is Making Nuclear Materials Again

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/after-years-of-neglect-america-making-nuclear-materials-again-ps-110626

[Core Content]

The United States Department of Energy has resumed domestic production of a specialized binary alloy used in nuclear weapons. The National Nuclear Security Administration officially qualified the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee to manufacture the material following a two-decade pause in active fabrication.

The facility last maintained an active production line for the radiation cases before defense budget cuts following the end of the Cold War. Reviving this specialized manufacturing capability supports broader federal efforts to modernize the national nuclear weapons stockpile and maintain secure industrial infrastructure.

The Department of Energy has announced the renewed construction of "binary alloy," a critical material for nuclear weapons design—but has not explained how it is made, for obvious reasons.

After 20 years, America will resume production of "binary alloy," a key alloy used in nuclear weapons, as it seeks to modernize its stockpile.

The alloy is used to manufacture radiation cases that enclose the essential components within a nuclear weapon. However, after the end of the Cold War in 1991 and ensuing defense budget cuts, the United States scaled down its active nuclear weapons production and relied on what was, in essence, a finite stockpile of previously manufactured binary alloy.

Read the full article at nationalinterest.org:
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/after-years-of-neglect-america-making-nuclear-materials-again-ps-110626