The Y-12 National Security Complex stayed on budget and on schedule in a $50 million project to replace an obsolete, aging site security system with the more modern Argus system, according to an Aug. 28 Energy Department Inspector General Office report released yesterday. Completed in 2013, Y-12’s Security Improvements Project (SIP) also met all baseline benchmarks. However, the IG also found that the National Nuclear Security Administration’s work scope and funding profile for the program did not address all implementation issues related to Argus.. “As a result, while Y-12 spent more than $50 million to upgrade its physical security system, it had not met NNSA’s mandate to develop and implement a comprehensive method for managing and integrating the site’s security and access control systems,” the report states.
The IG found that officials did not utilize “all available Argus functionality,” even though Y-12 originally pointed out the need to streamline its physical security environment, and NNSA could not fully fund all available functionality. Developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Argus is a highly interconnected, comprehensive digital security system that monitors and controls entry into high-security buildings, and can direct security forces to threats on property.
Y-12’s failure to fully integrate Argus forced officials to rely on the facility’s older Identity Verification System to control access at the rest of the site, according to the report, after NNSA had mandated the update of all security system infrastructure components. Furthermore, officials did not replace certain parts, including legacy alarm wiring cabinets and sensors. This spurred compatibility issues and increased the number of false or nuisance alarms that operators received, according to the IG.
