Todd Jacobson
NS&D Monitor
9/26/2014
Marine Corps veteran Jeffrey Johnson has been named as the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Chief of Defense Nuclear Security (CDNS) and Associate Administrator for Defense Nuclear Security, the agency said this week. Johnson previously served as the head of U.S. Marine Corps Civilian Law Enforcement and, according to the NNSA, he has broad experience protecting nuclear weapons, Navy nuclear propulsion and other “high value assets” from his activity duty and civilian tenure as a Marine. “Jeffrey brings a wealth of experience to NNSA and is eminently qualified to take on the challenges of his new position,” NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz said in a statement. “I am pleased he will serve our nation in this new role, and I am confident that he will use his expertise to ensure that the security is maintained at all NNSA facilities.”
Johnson is the first permanent Chief of Defense Nuclear Security at NNSA since Doug Fremont was removed after the security breach by elderly peace activists at the Y-12 National Security Complex in July 2012. He replaces Doug Dearolph, who had been serving as the acting Chief of Defense Nuclear Security. Dearolph is expected to return to his previous position as the NNSA’s Savannah River Field Office manager. In the wake of the Y-12 security breach, the Department of Energy has several times revamped security across the weapons complex in an effort to streamline the chain of command, most recently with the Energy Secretary and NNSA Administrator taking over policy decisions and the CDNS regaining control of security operations, where it would directly oversee security at each of the NNSA’s sites.
