Head of U.S. Strategic Command visits Savannah River Site

AIKEN, S.C. – Gen. John E. Hyten, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, visited the Savannah River Site (SRS) yesterday to get an up-close look at the nuclear security mission here.

“NNSA and Strategic Command are close partners,” said Gen. Hyten. “Together, we’re focused on recapitalizing the United States’ nuclear weapons infrastructure and Savannah River’s capabilities are essential in making the Nuclear Security Enterprise more responsive and resilient to address future threats.”

Gen. Hyten toured facilities for both current and planned missions. He visited the Savannah River Tritium Enterprise, which carries out the site’s longstanding missions related to the radioactive form of hydrogen used in nuclear weapons. He also visited the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility construction site, which NNSA intends to repurpose to produce plutonium pits.

“Seeing the facilities first-hand and spending time with the dedicated nuclear security professionals here was affirmation to me that SRS is well-suited to contribute to our strategic deterrence mission,” said Gen. Hyten.

U.S. Strategic Command, one of 10 Unified Commands under the Department of Defense, is responsible for the global command and control of U.S. strategic forces to meet decisive national security objectives, providing a broad range of strategic capabilities and options for the President and Secretary of Defense.

Media Contact:
Amy Boyette, U.S. Department of Energy
803.952.6120
Amy.boyette@srs.gov