Energy Secretary Dan Broulliette said the Department of Energy’s request for a 20 percent increase in budget seeks to support the infrastructure around the National Nuclear Security Administration’s complex, particularly the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Defense News reported Sunday.
“We look at the lithium processing facility, we at look the need for tritium down the road, and we look at the timetables in which we need them — it’s very important that we start now,” he told reporters Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. “And the president made the decision that he wanted to move up these projects and start them now. So that’s been our direction. That’s been our mission.”
Broulliette acknowledged that the additional funds will come from the Department of Defense and noted that DOE will work with Congress to achieve the $19.8B budget request.
He cited DOE’s involvement in the analysis of Iranian nuclear intelligence and concerns over cyber activity in Europe. He also responded to a question regarding an agreement with Russia and other countries over arms control.
