Book Description

In the late 1990s, a number of incidents at nuclear weapons facilities highlighted important security weaknesses at the Department of Energy (DOE).1 To address these weaknesses, DOE has developed numerous initiatives to improve nuclear security. The initiatives cover a broad range of security areas physical security, personnel security, information security, cyber security, and counterintelligence. Some of these initiatives require the creation of new offices and new policies, while others require the development of programs and processes meant to address specific weaknesses. In addition, the Congress sought to improve nuclear security by creating the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) on March 1, 2000, as a separately organized agency within DOE. As a result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, improving security has taken on a higher priority given the sensitivity and hazards of the work that DOE and NNSA perform.