On March 16, 2015, the power generation and government service company Babcock & Wilcox announced that their Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. subsidiary will supply their products and services to the United States Department of Energy. Valued at USD$169 million, this contract was granted by the U.S Department of Energy, Naval Reactors Laboratory Field Office and is an extension of the original $302 million contract that Babcock & Wilcox announced in 2014.The contract calls for Babcock & Wilcox to manufacture and deliver fuel and support activities for the U.S Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. The Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program provides militarily effective nuclear propulsion plants and guarantees their safe, dependable, and prolonged operation. In addition, the company will also provide their products and services for future Naval Reactors programs. Work will start at Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. in Erwin, Tennessee in January 2015 and is expected to be completed in February 2016.Babcock & Wilcox is a United States-based company that designs, engineers, manufactures, constructs, and provides facilities management services. Read more >>

United States Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced they will christen their future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer (DDG 119) the USS Delbert D Black. The name of the warship is meant to honor Delbert Black, the inaugural Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON).He held the title from January 13, 1967 to April 1, 1971. MCPON is the highest rank one can achieve in the Navy, and it is given to the most senior enlisted member. It is similar to Sergeant Major of the Army, or Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. "In the navy, per traditional ship-naming convention, our destroyers are named after naval heroes,” said Mabus. Read more >>

The United States Navy’s Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Maryland is nearly finished with its engineered refueling overhaul (ERO) at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Read more >>

Headquartered in West Falls Church, Virginia, the Northrop Grumman Corporation is the 5^th-largest aerospace and defense technology company. It concentrates in the production of aircraft carriers, military aircraft and vessels, missile defense systems, satellites, and information technology. It was formed in 1994 when Northrop purchased Grumman. Read more >>

Announced in March of 2015, oil titan ExxonMobil plans to cut its capital budget by approximately 12% in the next year, with further reductions over the next two years. Current spending is at USD$38.5 billion, but the company intends on further lowering this figure in fiscal year 2015 to at least USD$34 billion. Despite these cuts, Exxon said they will increase their output of oil-equivalent barrels, delivering 4.3 billion barrels per day in 2017. Although the overall United States rig count is decreasing, crude oil production continues to climb higher. In a statement released to news outlets, the company’s CEO – Rex W. Tillerson – attributes the increase to savings in raw materials, service, and construction costs. Capital expenditures for the company peaked two years ago in 2013 at USD$42.5 billion. Read more >>