The National Nuclear Security Administration said this week that it has finished shipping more than $1 million in high-grade stainless steel from a nuclear-weapon facility to the U.S. Army (see GSN, Oct. 13).
The steel has been moved from the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee to the Army Research, Engineering and Development Command in New Jersey.
"The transfer of the steel, valued at more than $1 million, is part of NNSA’s commitment to transform a Cold War nuclear weapons complex into a 21st century nuclear security enterprise," the nuclear agency said in a press release. "The transfer is also part of Y-12’s effort to reduce the footprint of facilities and materials no longer needed for its current and future defense missions."
When purchased in the 1980s, the steel was intended to be used for a construction project at the Y-12 complex. That project ended up being terminated following the end of the Cold War.
The steel is expected to be used in assorted military projects in New Jersey.
"Transfer of the material to another federal agency eliminates the costs of preparation and sale of the material as surplus," said Y-12 Site Office Manager Ted Sherry in the release. "Further, the transfer will reduce the need for the U.S. Army to procure similar items and material in support of its mission requirements" (U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration/Your Industry News, Oct. 21).