• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

Photo

The University of California, along with other companies, has just entered a bid to manage the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which specializes in nuclear research – one week after an apparent security breach in another UC-managed nuclear research facility, Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Los Alamos laboratory officials said last week that three portable computer drives containing classified information were found during a drug arrest in the home of a subcontractor who had worked at the lab.

That same week, the UC officially submitted a bid to the National Nuclear Security Administration for continuing management of Livermore.

The UC is part of a consortium including Bechtel National Inc., BWX Technologies Inc., Texas A&M University, Washington Group International and Battelle, who are collectively offering their bid for management. The consortium will compete against two other groups of companies for the contract.

The NNSA declined to comment on whether the UC’s bid will be evaluated differently in light of last week’s security breach at Los Alamos.

Lab officials and law enforcement will not comment on the material found on the Los Alamos laboratory drives until the investigation is over, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“While I cannot discuss the details of what we know and don’t know about what happened, I can confirm that classified material was found in her residence,” said laboratory director Michael Anastasio in a briefing to his employees Thursday afternoon.

The breach at Los Alamos is the most recent in a string of safety and security issues at the lab. The most widely reported incident involved scientist Wen Ho Lee, who was accused of leaking the lab’s nuclear secrets to China. He pleaded guilty to one count of mishandling classified information in 2000.

Last June, the Los Alamos laboratory transitioned from being managed solely by the UC to a consortium comprised of the UC, Bechtel, BWX Technologies and Washington Group International.

The consortium calls itself the Los Alamos National Security, LLC.

Though the UC managed the Los Alamos lab for more than 60 years, both lab and UC spokesmen emphasized that the UC is now working in concert with the other companies.

“(The) UC is no more and no less than one of the parent companies of the (consortium),” said Los Alamos spokesman Jeff Berger.

But he said many of the UC senior managers stayed with the lab through its overhaul and will provide knowledge about how to deal with this conflict.

“We are providing resources for Los Alamos and will work with them to address security problems,” said UC spokesman Chris Harrington.

Berger said the UC still appoints the director of Los Alamos laboratory, and many lab employees were UC employees before the management transfer.

In light of the security breach, Anastasio outlined a series of steps that will be enacted by the end of this week.

First, the lab plans to prohibit the use of unauthorized memory cards, such as iPods and USB devices, in mixed media environments and will review the lab’s requirements for subcontractors who are hired to perform support work.

“We want to ensure that we hold everyone accountable for security regardless of whether they are employees or subcontractors,” Berger said.

Over the next few weeks, Los Alamos laboratory will also consider the process of how classified material is reviewed and who reviews it, as well as implement training to ensure that the current security requirements are completely understood, Anastasio said.

Though Los Alamos will focus more on safety and security education, the laboratory said it has always made educating employees about security protocols a priority. Last week’s security breach was not the result of a lack of education about laboratory security, Berger said.

“If you spend X amount of hours at the lab even if you don’t work here, ... you have to take a class about safety and security at the lab,” he said.

Comments

Post a comment