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Nuclear Modernization

NNSA Should Approach Contracting Differently, Pappano Says

Sarah Salem

Tuesday, January 27th, 2026

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Scott Pappano currently serves as the Principal Deputy Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration. Photo: Department of Energy

ARLINGTON, Va. – The second-highest person at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said Tuesday he is “absolutely considering contracting differently.” Scott Pappano, NNSA’s principal deputy administrator, gave a keynote on the second day of Exchange Monitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit. “The world I came from, you know, in shipbuilding, advanced procurement was very much a fee driven kind of contracting relationship, right?” Pappano said. “I'm a fan of how we do the M&O contracts right now as far as they…

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