2023 - Admiral Caldwell NR 75th Video at NRF

This is a video recorded on 8/22/2023. National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator Jill Hruby and Naval Reactors Director Adm. Frank Caldwell visited the Naval Reactors Facility located on the Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory. While there, they toured and discussed the important work to support the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program and the U.S. Navy nuclear fleet.

Video length 4:56

Transcript:

Hello , I'm Admiral Frank Caldwell and I'm speaking to you today from the naval reactors facility located on the Idaho National Laboratory . I'm here with our great Department of Energy partners , including the administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration , Miss Jill Ruby . Our naval reactors facility supports the naval nuclear propulsion program by managing the navy spent fuel and examining irradiated materials and expended reactor cores . The efforts here at NRF to collect and analyze data on nuclear reactor environments , material behavior and design performance allows us to demonstrate that our materials perform exactly as intended and it allows us to develop new technology and to improve reactor design cost effectiveness . I'm Jill Ruby an Ns A's administrator . I'm excited be here in Idaho seeing our naval reactors program firsthand . This is a vital piece of our partnership between the Department of the Navy and the Department of Energy . I love the naval Reactors program . The people who support this program embody NNS A's commitment to innovate , collaborate and deliver through rigorous testing and analysis . This team is constantly improving design of critical technologies that enable the US Navy to promote free and secure oceans . They are delivering results that help reduce costs and improve efficiencies . On August 4th , we kicked off the 75th anniversary year of the naval nuclear propulsion program . Our history here in Idaho with NRF dates back to the very start of our program . Construction for the first land based prototype S one W began here in 1950 . This was the prototype for us S nautilus , the world's first nuclear powered submarine which went to sea just five years later in 1955 . Throughout the years , the naval reactors facility has played an enormous role in our program . This site was home to three prototypes and trained over 40,000 nuclear operators to go to the fleet . And over the decades , the program has safely shipped 919 spent fuel containers to NRF where the team here examines this fuel to ensure that our cores have operated as planned . These results along with other irradiated specimen examinations have set the foundation for longer reactor core lifetimes . This is a game changer for our navy and is most evident in the fact that Columbia class submarines will operate for 40 years without refueling . This is a truly amazing accomplishment . Now , during our visit today , we toured the expended core facility , seeing all of the fantastic work being accomplished by our NRF team . I consider visiting program sites as an important part of my job and it's an important part of our naval reactors , regulatory responsibilities . But it's also an opportunity for me to meet and greet our great people on these visits . I get to see first hand the dedication of our people , their technical excellence and their drive to always do . What's right ? This is what our program is about . Amazing people tackling vitally important work for our country and setting the standard for our Navy and for our nation . We've also seen the impressive Decommissioning and demolition effort at the S one W prototype which our colleagues at does Office of Environmental Management are leading this storied facility helped pave the way for the Nuclear Navy and set the high standard of technical excellence for our nuclear operators that continues today . Being good stewards of the environment is an important responsibility for us properly , Decommissioning these facilities makes room for future needs and infrastructure improvements which is critical to meeting our mission requirements over my last eight years as the Director of the naval Nuclear Propulsion Program , I have absolutely loved every trip to Idaho and RF to the incredible NRF team . The impressive work you do here , the challenges that you are able to overcome and the special relationships you have with the community and the state of Idaho are all inspiring . Although you are hundreds of miles from the nearest Navy home port , your impact on our Navy is profound and enduring as we look forward . I know that you will continue to challenge what's possible and help lead the way from here in the high desert . For the next 75 years of powering maritime dominance . Thank you for what you do every day . It takes your deep expertise and dedication and our country is grateful together . We will advance our national security goals and keep America on the cutting edge of scientific advancement .