NNSA Names New Official to Oversee Uranium Programs

The National Nuclear Security Administration has created a new position of Uranium Program Manager to oversee all efforts to maintain the NNSA’s uranium manufacturing capabilities. The move, announced yesterday, comes in response to one of the recommendations made by the Red Team created to analyze the Uranium Processing Facility project. The Red Team “recommended that NSNA create an overarching enriched uranium mission strategy based on people, plant, process, and materials that take into account both current and future program demands and the condition and predicted life of current facilities and processes,” an NNSA release states. Management of the UPF project, however, will remain with the project’s Federal Project Director who will continue to report to NNSA’s Associate Administrator for Acquisition and Project Management .“This organizational structure ensures the authority and responsibility for delivery the new build construction project on time and on budget is with APM,” the NNSA release says.

Tim Driscoll from NNSA’s Defense Program has been named to fill the new position, which “will be responsible for overseeing all program elements for maintaining NNSA’s uranium manufacturing capabilities in support of mission requirements,” the NNSA release states. “"Mr. Driscoll will be responsible for balancing resources among the challenges, and will create a cohesive, results-oriented uranium program for NNSA that will foster cross-communication of ideas and information,” NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz said in the release.