Some administrative work has resumed at the Los Alamos National
Laboratory while research remains on hold after the lab was shut
down on July 16.
The loss of two highly classified portable zip drives from the
laboratory’s Weapons Physics Directorate prompted officials
to shut down the lab and are still missing after nearly three
weeks.
Security breaches by employees at the lab are believed to be the
cause of the loss. Director of Los Alamos, Pete Nanos criticized a
lab culture in which some individuals felt they did not have to
follow all safety and security rules.
Lab spokesman Kevin Roark said work has been restarted in only
the lowest risk areas with primarily office workers, including some
activities in the Chief Financial Officer division. All research in
a laboratory setting remains on hold while officials try to
reeducate the lab’s employees.
Roark said it is difficult to say exactly how much work has been
resumed because there are over 3,000 separate activities the lab is
tracking and the numbers are constantly changing.
Roark said each department must go through a careful
comprehensive assignment of all its activities before work can be
resumed.
All employees are required to have a one-on-one conversation
with their managers to make sure there is a clear understanding of
the policies of the lab and is in full compliance of them. Then a
validation process occurs in which a parent organization could
audit the department and test the employees to verify all
requirements have been fulfilled.
As the lab slowly moves toward resuming normal operations, it
has been continuously met with criticism from Congress due to its
recent security breaches.
“Congress is not going to tolerate the lack of security of
classified material at Los Alamos any longer,” said
Representative Joe Barton, R-Texas, who chairs the House Energy and
Commerce Committee.
Congressional candidate Robert Whittel, D-Florida, also pointed
to the Los Alamos security failings in his campaign, calling them
“troubling and unacceptable.”
On July 28, Nanos held a meeting with student workers at the lab
to apologize for the suspension of activities at the lab and to
encourage them to help address safety issues.
“I do not hold the students accountable at all for the
recent incidents,” Nanos said. “I am sorry you have
been put into this position,” he said.
Nanos said it is a good idea for the students to be exposed to
the responsibilities associated with safety and security and to be
responsible for following standard regulations.
“Think of this as a holistic experience and build on it.
This is a time for you to take on some learning for your future
life,” Nanos said.
The lab runs a yearlong student program with an influx of as
many as 3,000 post-doctorate, graduate and undergraduate students
in the summer that come to the lab to participate in research as
well as administrative work.