National Security

Feds Have No Re-Supply Plan For Key Ingredient In Nukes

REUTERS/Mark Blinch

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Ethan Barton Editor in Chief
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Department of Energy (DOE) officials have no plan in place to replenish the current supply of a “vital national security asset” required for building U.S. nuclear weapons when it is used up in 14 years, a government watchdog reported Wednesday.

The DOE hasn’t ensured that there will be a sufficient heavy water supply, which is necessary for nuclear weapon design and development, by 2031, according to the agency’s inspector general (IG).

“The department’s current inventory of usable heavy water is its only source of material for weapons activities,” the report said. “The United States has not had a heavy water production capability since 1996, and there are no current plans to construct a capability.” (RELATED: Trump On Nukes: ‘Let It Be An Arms Race’)

Establishing new heavy water production could take between 10 and 15 years. International proliferation agreements prevent the U.S. from purchasing heavy water for defense programs. (RELATED: US Nuclear Weapons Could Die Thanks To $20 Million Of Neglect)

Additionally, a new DOE program may require more heavy water, which could deplete the resource before 2031.

DOE has enough heavy water to last between 15 and 20 years, DOE management claimed, which is “sufficient time to prepare plans to meet needs should requirements change,” according to the report. DOE “also stated that the report overstated the risk regarding the lead time required to resume a production capability.”

DOE management took steps to extend its heavy water supply after a 2008 IG report found the resource would be depleted by 2019. But DOE obtained heavy water from the Department of Defense and stopped its supply for non-weapons uses, rather than actually finding new sources.

Consequently, programs that need heavy water for non-weapons programs have been forced to rely on purchasing it from foreign vendors, which could fluctuate in price and even possibly face future sales restriction, according to the IG report.

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