Security at the nation’s nuclear weapons complex has been comically awful for years. But despite meth dealers caught with classified info, despite the barely-armed guards patrolling the Livermore Lab, despite the short-cut security drills at Oak Ridge, and despite the faked investigations at Sandia — not to mention that pesky reporter who waltzed right into Los Alamos — the guy supposedly in charge of security has somehow been able to keep his job.
Until now. Linton Brooks, the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, has been asked to step down by Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman. Brooks is “to submit his resignation… this month,” the AP says.
The nuclear watchdogs over at the Project on Government Oversight are understandably psyched. They’ve been calling for Brooks’ resignation since 2004. “This is an opportunity for the National Nuclear Security Administration to finally live up to its name,” said POGO chief Danielle Brian said in a statement.
The NNSA was created back in 2000, after the Wen Ho Lee scandal and other security lapses hit Los Alamos. Maybe the group can finally start doing its job, under a new director. See ya later, Linton. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
(Big ups: Raw Story)
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Thomas D’Agostino, currently deputy administrator for defense programs, is being tapped as acting administrator. Unfortunately, the “acting” bit means there’s no chance of confirmation hearings (I’m not sure whether NNSAdministrator is a confirmed position to begin with). Beyond the security issues, I’d love to see the type of congressional attention that a hearing would bring to Complex 2030. Like I’ve written before here on DefTech, it’s not that I think C2030 is necessarily a bad idea (might be, might not be) it’s just that there’s a lot about it that would benefit enormously from some careful oversight.
Joe Cirincione was quoted in today’s WaPo saying, “I would feel better if Brooks were being dismissed on policy grounds rather than security grounds” (note that he also called Brooks “a very intelligent public servant with a great deal of integrity”). Whether or not you support RRW and Complex 2030, it’s hard to deny that Brooks (and, for that matter, D’Agostino) have botched the PR for this whole undertaking disastrously, from trying to use RRW as a cover for RNEP (and getting called out even by Republicans) to having to admit that their claims about the cost and longevity of RRW were totally unsubstantiated.
Hey thos esuit cases need to be recharged don’t they EggHeads–I am a Mettalurgist to the MAX and know all about that Metal and the Tamper so do the mini nukes with small pits of PU-239 do to MASS DEFECT meaning most tactical warheads are either phizzled out or incapable of sustaing a
high order detonation. Best way is to take the innards ofa W-77 and test it.
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Chris,
By the way you write, I am wonder if working with some of the heavy metals as a metallurgist got to your brain.