NNSA COMPLETES Y-12 SECURITY UPGRADE PROJECT

The National Nuclear Security Administration said yesterday that a project to upgrade the security infrastructure at the Y-12 National Security Complex was completed ahead of schedule and approximately $20 million less than its initial $72 million budget. The Security Improvements Project (SIP), which the NNSA said cost $51.8 million, replaced existing alarm stations and access control systems with an upgraded system known as Argus that was designed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Notably, the project was ongoing when three elderly peace activists reached the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility and the most secure areas of Y-12 in July of 2012, aided in part by faulty alarms and broken cameras. “Maintaining a safe and secure deterrent is one of NNSA’s most important responsibilities,” NNSA acting Chief of Defense Nuclear Security Michael Lempke said in a statement. “SIP is a continuation of NNSA’s goal to use the best, most modern security technology to keep the nation’s nuclear weapons and material secure.”