Federal officials did not inappropriately block contractors from investigating concerns about a program to refurbish one of the Navy’s two nuclear weapons, the Department of Energy’s inspector general wrote in a recent report. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is upgrading the W88, which tips submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles and entered service in 1988, for up to another 30 years of service. The joint DoE-Pentagon Nuclear Weapons Council approved production of the upgraded weapon in 2022, after about a year-and-a-half…
