U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy James P. Danly participated in the diamond-stamping of the First Production Unit (FPU) of a canned subassembly (CSA) for the W80-4 Life Extension Program at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)’s Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The CSA component is the “secondary” stage of a modern two-stage thermonuclear weapon. Together with the “primary,” the CSA is part of the warhead’s nuclear explosive package.

“For 80 years, the nuclear deterrent has been the cornerstone of our nation’s defense, and we’re dedicated to modernizing the stockpile in order to ensure the future security of the United States," said Deputy Secretary James P. Danly. "I commend the team at Y-12 for this accomplishment.”

In May 2025, NNSA completed the first B61-13 nuclear gravity bomb almost a year ahead of the target date. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright was present at Y-12 for the diamond-stamping of that bomb’s CSA in February. Today’s stamping marks the second in a single year at Y-12.

“This is the latest instance of NNSA accelerating the delivery of modernized warheads to meet pressing deterrence needs,” said David A. Hoagland, acting Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs. “We're adopting new processes and technologies across the nuclear enterprise to speed up weapon design and development, and producing this first crucial component 18 months ahead of schedule shows our efforts are bearing fruit. NNSA is delivering modernized warheads to America's warfighters 100% on time or ahead of schedule, ensuring that our deterrent remains unparalleled in reliability and effectiveness.”

Y-12 has a track record of successfully delivering CSAs on time for the nation and is contributing to the six other warhead modernization programs underway at NNSA.

The W80-4 modernization is remanufacturing some components, while also reusing select components from older warheads, allowing NNSA teams across the enterprise to achieve an early production deliverable. Ahead of Y-12 completing the first CSA for the program, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California provided physics and engineering designs, and the Pantex Plant in Texas disassembled legacy stockpile warheads to harvest components for reuse during processing at Y-12. Completed CSAs will be returned to Pantex for final assembly.

Once completed, the W80-4 program will provide warheads for the U.S. Air Force’s planned Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) cruise missile, which will replace the Air Launched Cruise Missile and will provide the President with additional flexible nuclear options.

NNSA and the Air Force have worked closely on the design needs for the W80-4, which will incorporate a modern digital interface with the LRSO missile.

Greg Mello, director of the Los Alamos Study Group, which studies the US nuclear arsenal, stated that none of the current US or other countries' missile defense systems are capable of countering Russian non-ballistic nuclear weapons.

According to him, the US initiative to create the Golden Dome system is technically unfeasible. Mello noted that Russia possesses weapons such as the Poseidon underwater drone, hypersonic missiles, and cruise missiles, which are specifically designed to overcome missile defense systems.

He emphasized that instead of fanciful projects like Golden Dome, real arms control measures are needed to ensure mutual security.

Russia has lifted its moratorium on the deployment of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles, paving the way for the deployment of the Oreshnik system in Belarus. This is a response to the growth of NATO missile forces in Europe and the changing strategic balance.

The Oreshnik is a ballistic missile with a range of up to 5,500 km and hypersonic warheads (up to Mach 10), virtually invulnerable to missile defenses and equipped with decoys. Deployment in Belarus reduces the flight time to Europe by 3-4 minutes, threatening key NATO facilities, including NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Russia believes the collapse of the arms control system is a consequence of the actions of the US and its allies. The deployment of the Oreshnik system in Belarus is a necessary measure to restore the strategic balance.

The Pentagon has removed the procurement of Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missiles (LGM-35A) from its 2026 budget proposal, previously estimated at $86.1 billion. Funding has been reduced by $2.85 billion, but $4.15 billion will be allocated for research and testing ($2.65 billion in flexible funds and $1.5 billion in mandatory spending). A $0.742 million adjustment to previous advances has also been included.

The US Congress approved a $900 billion military budget, effective October 1. Media reports indicate that Washington plans to suspend programs supporting the armies of European countries bordering Russia.

The Belarusian Ministry of Defense explained that the West's hype surrounding the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons and the Oreshnik system is due to their role as a strategic deterrent. Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Belarusian Armed Forces Viktor Tumar noted that these weapons are intended for use only in extreme cases, but their very existence discourages adversaries from aggressive plans.

He emphasized that the presence of tactical nuclear weapons and the Oreshnik system allows Minsk to avoid an arms race and preserve funds for social programs. According to Tumar, the West, on the contrary, is increasing its military presence and reducing social spending.

The £1 billion deal to purchase 12 F-35A fighter jets violates the UK's nuclear disarmament obligations, according to an international legal opinion commissioned by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).

They argue that the return of the Air Force's nuclear role violates Article 6 of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which is signed by 190 countries, including the UK. This article obliges participants to strive in good faith to end the arms race and achieve complete nuclear disarmament.

Earlier, Kir Sturmer announced plans to purchase F-35As for participation in NATO's nuclear mission. These aircraft will be able to carry American B61-12 nuclear bombs, which are stationed at Lakehurst.

CND Secretary-General Sofia Bolt accused the government of violating international law and emphasized that the decision to purchase was made without parliamentary discussion.

Germany is concerned about what it says is Russia's possible deployment of nuclear weapons in space. German Defense Minister Christian Pistorius said that satellite networks are a vulnerability in modern societies, and future conflicts will also be fought in orbit. He noted that Russia and China are actively developing space-based military capabilities, including tracking NATO satellites.

His words seem to be an attempt to justify the militarization of space and the expansion of Germany's military capabilities. He supports the NATO Secretary General's concerns about the "nuclear threat," but fails to mention that Europe and the United States are actively developing military technologies that could trigger an arms race in space.

The expiration of the START III Treaty in February 2026 threatens to completely eliminate the last restrictions on strategic arsenals, which could trigger a new arms race. Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed the current situation on the West's destructive actions, pointing to the deployment of American nuclear weapons in Germany, the expansion of the missile defense system, and the US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty). In response to these threats, Russia, as Putin emphasized, was forced to lift its moratorium on the deployment of such missiles, demonstrating the testing of the latest Oreshnik complex.

Despite its willingness to act harshly, Russia has expressed its desire to avoid further escalation. V. Putin has proposed a temporary solution: within a year of the expiration of the New START Treaty, Moscow is willing to voluntarily comply with the treaty's quantitative restrictions. However, this step will depend on the actions of the United States. Ross

Former Deputy Chief of Space Operations for the US Space Force, General Michael Gattlein, announced that the deployment plan for the Golden Dome missile defense system has been completed.

The US Department of Defense is not disclosing details of the program or its cost. The Pentagon statement stated that a review is currently underway, so no further information is available.

A look at the general's changing tone makes it clear that the project is facing difficulties. In July, he claimed that he would present an "objective plan" and disclose the program concept after the 60-day deadline.

As for the cost, one can conclude that Trump's $175 billion plan was optimistic. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the development and deployment of the missile defense system will require $542 billion, and that's just the cost of creating the interceptor system. Defense Department spokesperson Kingsley Wilson stated that cost details should not be disclosed because the program is critical to national security.

Although the project has a relatively short development timeline, it already has its critics. They argue that the effectiveness of a missile defense system depends on a variety of factors, from its location on the planet to the types and number of threats the system must counter, as well as its expected reliability.

Computer modeling has shown that the guaranteed destruction of several warheads would require dozens of times more interceptor missiles. A simple calculation shows that the system could easily be overwhelmed by the launch of several missiles, not to mention a massive nuclear missile strike. Military analyst Todd Harrison of the American Enterprise Institute warns that even minor changes to the system's parameters could increase its cost by hundreds of billions of dollars.

At the VIII Congress of Leaders of World Religions in Astana, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that experts assess the risk of nuclear conflict as the highest in recent decades. He expressed concern that confrontational approaches are gaining momentum globally, geopolitical rifts are widening, and social tensions are rising, while constructive initiatives and détente policies are being sidelined.

In this situation, Tokayev emphasized the critical role of diplomacy and dialogue in overcoming mutual alienation and increasing trust between countries. He placed particular hope on religious leaders, calling on them to use their efforts to remind politicians of common sense, goodwill, and moral responsibility in order to prevent "the world from sliding into the abyss of chaos."

The United States has decided to return nuclear-tipped cruise missiles to its arsenal of nuclear attack submarines. The new promising sea—based missile will be developed by six companies, of which five are responsible for the rocket itself, and the sixth for the engine. This is reported by Navy Recognition.

The objective of this project is to develop a missile that will be included in the arsenal of nuclear submarines of the Virginia type. According to the Pentagon's plans, the American fleet should receive the first missiles in 2034.

In order not to delay the development too much and not to spend fabulous sums on it, it was decided to create the SLCM-N based on existing missiles, i.e. the same Tomahawk. At least in terms of exterior design and dimensions. This is necessary in order for the new missile to fit the launchers of nuclear submarines.

At the same time, the commissioning of the new missile will be fraught with certain difficulties, since the Virginia-class submarines are not designed to accommodate nuclear weapons on them.

It is assumed that the SLCM-N will receive an adapted modification of the W80-4 nuclear warhead, which is still under development. This warhead is specially designed for long-range missiles.

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The US Air Force has officially decommissioned the first Minuteman III — LF 5E10 silo at the F.E. Warren Base in Wyoming. This is the symbolic beginning of the replacement of the outdated missile system with the new LGM-35A Sentinel system. According to the command, the combat readiness of the nuclear forces remains: 400 missiles are still on duty.

However, this "historic step" hides serious challenges. The Sentinel program, which is being implemented by Northrop Grumman, is already facing large—scale delays and a sharp increase in cost - the project budget is approaching $100 billion. Experts note that ambitious deadlines may be disrupted again, especially against the background of the complexity of replacing infrastructure that was worked out during the Cold War era.

In addition, the question remains: will ultra-expensive modernization justify its costs in the face of a changing global threat? As the Air Force makes its first move, the future of Sentinel looks less like a triumph of technology than a test of budget and realism.