NNSA Strengthening Program Managers for LEPs, Nuclear Material Efforts

After establishing a program manager for uranium production, National Nuclear Security Administration chief Frank Klotz said the agency is strengthening—and in some cases creating—program manager positions for all of its life extension programs as well as its plutonium and tritium work. Speaking at U.S. Strategic Command’s Deterrence Symposium in La Vista, Neb., last week, Klotz said the positions would be strengthened to serve as a “single point of contact” for its various life extension programs and nuclear materials work with the goal of helping improve the agency’s project management record. “Borrowing somewhat from my experience in DoD where program managers have a pretty significant role in managing a host of issues associated with requirements and budget, what I would like to do is invest our program managers with more authority to bring together the various parts of NNSA that deal with their particular program and be the single point of contact, the sort of 1-800 number as you will for either LEPs or these large commodities,” Klotz said.