Elizabeth Johnston, Ph.D.’s Post

“Our labs are ancient. Our infrastructure is ancient. Our weapons systems are ancient. We need to modernize the infrastructure to prepare for an unknown future. But it doesn’t say, ‘Buy more now.’” How should policymakers and the public interpret the findings of the Strategic Posture Commission’s report on how to ensure the United States maintains a credible nuclear deterrent? GEN (Ret). John Hyten, former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Kari Bingen, Director of the Aerospace Security Project at Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), discuss how the United States can prepare for an uncertain future with two near-peer nuclear adversaries. Watch the full discussion here. https://lnkd.in/eWsUvESP

Learning the intricacies of nuclear power can be daunting at times. Fortunately for me, I spent the last month getting oriented with the Reactor Department and absorbing as much as I could from the crew of USS Ronald Reagan. Thanks to CAPT Daryle Cardone, CAPT Harry Evans, CMC Tychicious Turner, and CAPT Chris Green, this has been the best experience I’ve had along this journey to date. One more step along this nuclear aviation path complete. Next stop - Naval Reactors.

Did you know that AMRICC serves customers globally? You don’t have to be UK-based to take advantage of our facilities!   The AMRICC Centre is supporting Lucideon teams in the US with a complex evaluation of a Nickel-based superalloy’s thermal diffusivity and expansion, undertaken as part of a partnership with the Naval Nuclear Laboratory to develop mission-critical technology for the U.S. Navy nuclear-powered fleet.   The work supports research into the Hot Isostatic Press (HIP) process, which uses high pressure and elevated temperatures to densify materials.   The AMRICC Centre’s extensive range of design, manufacturing, and analysis kit has an impressive array of capabilities for early prototyping and development trials, the production of trial batches, and other industrial uses. Partnering with our facility allows for more studies to be undertaken at a lower cost and greater speed without compromising the productivity of your existing manufacturing process.   #AMRICC #AdvancedMaterials #Analysis #MaterialsScience #HighTemperatureTesting #Manufacturing

Thank you Leonam Guimarães for sharing. A 1977 document! I always believe that many of the technological advances we are witnessing in the nuclear field are attempts to revisit earlier designs. #Nuclearmaritime #icebreaker #nuclearsubmarines #nuclearpropulsion #prototypes

Russia May Be Planning to Use  Nuclear Weapons in Space   Pavel Luzin for Eurasia Daily Monitor   Executive Summary: •Russia has acknowledged its inability to compete with the West in space and is looking for solutions to shore up the weaknesses of its space program. •Moscow views the military satellite systems of the United States and its allies as a significant military threat, with concerns growing that these systems could be used to gain military advantages. •The Kremlin will likely employ the “escalation for de-escalation/nuclear de-escalation” concept to demoralize adversaries during conventional wars and force negotiations, specifically relying on its Strategic Rocket Forces. https://lnkd.in/e9BbsRfa

The U.S. remains a powerhouse in naval technology, with our 50-year-old Nimitz class carriers still outperforming the likes of China's recently launched Fujian carrier, which lacks nuclear power. Even though the Fujian represents progress for China, it hardly compares to the capabilities of U.S. fleets from half a century ago, not to mention the advanced vessels we're rolling out today. With the launch of China's new carrier coinciding with increasing speculation around the U.S. allegedly faking the 1969 moon landing, it raises an interesting question. Are these conspiracy narratives pushed more by other countries aiming to undermine U.S. technological credibility?

The 70 years of dithering on the benefits of nuclear energy should now cease. We should exploit this gift of nature to the full. Fossil fuels, and worse renewables, cannot touch the reliability and environmental benefits of nuclear. https://lnkd.in/eSBCSR9

The more I #learn about the #defecit in #skilled #labor, especially in #manufacturing, the greater the #concern #buildsubmarines #cte #careers

Ever wonder WHY NOTHING GETS DONE or it seems like your MANAGER DOES NOTHING? Many managers are doing the exact opposite of what Admiral Hyman Rickover (1900-1986), the “Father of the Nuclear Navy advises... "A good manager must have unshakeable determination and tenacity. Deciding what needs to be done is easy, getting it done is more difficult. Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must be driven into practice with courageous impatience. Once implemented they can be easily overturned or subverted through apathy or lack of follow-up, so a continuous effort is required. Too often, important problems are recognized but no one is willing to sustain the effort needed to solve them.   Nothing worthwhile can be accomplished without determination." https://lnkd.in/egWaJgZD

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the launch of the U.S.S. Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, built for the U.S. Navy by General Dynamics Electric Boat. The reactor supplied by Westinghouse Electric Company gave Nautilus clear advantages in speed, stealth and endurance compared to traditional diesel-electric submarines -- which are limited to battery power when fully submerged. Nautilus could maintain a top submerged speed of more than 20 knots virtually indefinitely. By comparison, the Barbel class of diesel-electric submarines, which debuted for the Navy in 1959, would run out of battery power in less than an hour at those speeds. Alternately, the Barbel class could remain submerged for 102 hours by limiting its speed to 3 knots. Not only did the Nautilus revolutionize naval propulsion, but it also helped spur the commercial nuclear industry by demonstrating the reliability and effectiveness of nuclear reactors. We see that being repeated today as the U.S. military is helping to pioneer the development and deployment of microreactor designs that can meet national security needs but could also be used to meet civilian requirements.