NS&D Monitor
6/13/2014
DOE IG Criticizes ORNL Personnel Security Program
An inspection report released this week by the Department of Energy’s Inspector General said it could not confirm an allegation that a former senior official at Oak Ridge National Laboratory retained access to sensitive information after becoming a “casual” employee at ORNL. However, the IG report said it did identify a number of weaknesses in the lab’s personnel security program. Among other things, the report cited ORNL’s failure to promptly report that the former lab executive with security clearance had taken a job overseas, and it criticized DOE’s Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence for not enforcing a policy that requires debriefing—face-to-face, if possible—of employees who had previous access to classified information.
In its review of the allegation, the IG found that ORNL actually followed procedures set forth by the intelligence office at DOE headquarters in requesting a “re-justification” for the employee to retain access to sensitive information at the lab after the individual’s employment status changed. That was based on the fact that the individual, even after the employment status was downgraded, would be participating as a member of the Strategic Advisory Group for ORNL’s Global Security Directorate. That group, which includes participants from industry and academia, advises the Oak Ridge lab on its alignment with national security needs.
Report Appears to Focus on Former Dep. Lab Director
The individual whose status was reviewed is not named in the IG report. However, the report describes the individual as a former senior management official at ORNL with expertise in high-performance computing who began overseas employment on Sept. 1, 2012. Thomas Zacharia, ORNL’s former deputy lab director for science and technology who was architect of the lab’s world-leading scientific computing program, left ORNL in August 2012 to take a leadership position at a research foundation in Qatar. There is nothing in the IG report to suggest the individual did anything wrong. In an email response to questions, ORNL spokesman David Keim said there’s no indication of “inappropriate access” to information at ORNL. “But we always review potential weaknesses noted in these reports and take measures that will make the lab even more secure,” he said. Keim said he could not confirm that the individual discussed in the report is Zacharia. He also would not discuss whether Zacharia became a “casual” employee after leaving ORNL or whether he served on an advisory panel for national security issues. Zacharia was not immediately available for comment.
According to the IG report, the individual’s access to sensitive information at ORNL was cancelled after failing to attend two meetings of the Strategic Advisory Group. At that point, there should have been a face-to-face debriefing to remind the individual of obligations to protect sensitive information, acknowledge possession of any sensitive documents, and report any attempts by someone to solicit information. In this case, and in dozens of other cases within DOE, a “special security officer” simply made a notation without doing an actual briefing.
Y-12 Veteran Reis to Transition to New Contractor
Bill Reis, a multi-contractor veteran of the Y-12 National Security Complex, will continue his service in a new role with the new combined management contractor for Y-12 and Pantex, its sister plant in the weapons complex. Reis, who is currently heading up public affairs for B&W Y-12, confirmed that he will be joining Bechtel-led CNS as senior director for global security programs and strategic partnerships. He’ll be working for Dave Beck’s Program Integration Organization, effective July 1. “I am joining a great group of professionals at Y-12 and Pantex who manage technology development/transfer efforts, support nuclear non-proliferation and anti-terrorism initiatives, provide material for nuclear reactor fuel, and partner with federal agencies to execute projects intending to strengthen national security,” Reis said in an email. Over the past 32 years, Reis has held management positions in the Development, Operations, Quality Assurance, Program Management, ES&H, and Public/Governmental Affairs organizations at Y-12.
He said the new job will be “particularly rewarding” because of “its broader global nuclear security emphasis.” He said it also will provide an opportunity for synergies between Y-12 and Pantex. Reis said he’s excited about a number of projects, some of them already underway or planned. Those include: partnering with NASA on its KiloPower project to develop a kilowatt-class fission power system for space; running a Global Security Training Center that, among other things, teaches people how to prevent theft of nuclear and radiological materials; supporting the Bill Gates Foundation’s TerraPower project for developing a next-generation nuclear reactor; enhancing Y-12’s role as a National Protyping Center that takes advantage of the plant’s manufacturing expertise; and operating a nuclear detection and sensor testing center.
