US nuclear weapons laboratories are poorly protected against theft, sabotage and attack by terrorists, according to an assessment completed in May this year for the Bush administration.
The review of the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), led by retired admiral Richard Mies, levels withering criticisms at almost every area of security. Counter-intelligence is 鈥渄ysfunctional鈥�, responsibility for security is 鈥渇ragmented鈥�, and weaknesses in site safeguards 鈥減romote a false sense of security鈥�. Radioactive waste stores 鈥渕ay lack adequate protection against sabotage which could cause wide-area radiological dispersal鈥�, it warns.
Investigations of security incidents within NNSA 鈥渁re hindered by inconsistent practices, redundant reporting and inadequate reviews鈥�. Cultural problems 鈥渆rode its ability to establish and provide security consistent with the gravity of its mission鈥�. Even worse, the report found that past studies and reviews of NNSA security have reached similar conclusions.
Advertisement
The NNSA, which oversees security at Los Alamos (left), Oak Ridge, Lawrence Livermore and other military nuclear research facilities, says that it has already implemented 70 per cent of the report鈥檚 recommendations. NNSA administrator Linton Brooks says security has now 鈥済reatly improved鈥� as a result.
This was dismissed as a 鈥渄ubious claim鈥� by the lobby group Project On Government Oversight, whose freedom of information request prompted the report鈥檚 release on 1 September.