POGO Not Impressed with NNSA's New Security Reform

To answer the question posed by Frank Munger, POGO thinks the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) recent security reform is neither “a daring move" nor "just good sense.”

POGO is concerned that NNSA boasts in its press release that the new reforms are the result of extensive collaboration and "constructive partnering and consultations" with the nation’s nuclear weapons Labs and with the Department of Energy’s Office of Health, Safety and Security (HSS).

Our position has been that NNSA should not be partnering with HSS, nor the Labs, which are run by private contractors. Strong security requires that HSS be independent from NNSA, and function as an overseer of NNSA policy by conducting independent performance tests of the physical and cyber security of the Labs and production facilities.

POGO, and those concerned with safety and security problems at the Labs, are opposed to the new trend at NNSA towards greater partnership with the Labs and production facilities. A recent IG report, which has not been publicly released, found systemic safety problems at Los Alamos Lab. Part of the explanation for these problems is that NNSA has been trying to be a partner—not a watchdog —on safety.

Over the last several decades, all of the studies of each security debacle within the nuclear weapons complex conclude that there is a distinct lack of government oversight of these contractors. Unfortunately, the NNSA’s new reforms do not tackle this problem.

-- Ingrid Drake and Peter Stockton

See also:

• The Problem with Providing Nuclear Weapons Labs with Relief from Federal Oversight
• DOE Gives Nuclear Labs One Heck of a Long Winter Vacation
• Energy IG Findings Show You Can't be Everybody's Partner and be a Good Watchdog at the Same Time
• More Encouraging Nuclear Weapons Oversight from the Hill