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Nuclear Modernization

Director Says LANL Exceeds Pit Production Objectives

Sarah Salem

Thursday, January 29th, 2026

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Director Says LANL Exceeds Pit Production Objectives

Pictured is a U.S. Air Force depiction of the LGM-35A Sentinel (U.S. Air Force)

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) “exceeded all” objectives for producing the fissile cores of the nation’s nuclear weapons, the lab’s director Thom Mason told the Exchange Monitor Monday at the Nuclear Deterrence Summit. NNSA produced a “diamond-stamped,” or war-reserve quality, first production unit of a W87-1 plutonium pit in October 2024. The diamond-stamped pit has since become a model for any W87-1 pits produced since then. “I can't tell you the exact number [of…

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