In an apparent response to quality concerns, the Pantex Plant paused operations yesterday. The pause was announced in a message Pantex Operations Manager Michelle Reichert sent to employees, a copy of which was obtained by Weapons Complex Morning Briefing. “We are not achieving the quality our customers – or our nation – deserve every day. Change is needed and only we can make it happen,” Reichert said in the message. She went on to state, “The pause will be an opportunity to examine where we can do things better and to focus on our customer and whether we’re truly meeting their needs.”
Reichert’s message provided little detail about the specifics of the quality concerns that led to yesterday’s pause, and it remains unclear when the pause will be lifted. Neither the National Nuclear Security Administration nor Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC, the managing contractor for Pantex, responded to requests for comment yesterday. “We’ve got to check and double check our work to ensure that it’s done the right way. Are the products and services you provide at the level of quality they need to be when delivered? If not, you’ve let your customer down, and because we’re all in this together, we’ve then collectively let our customer down,” Reichert said in her message. “We can’t afford to do that. Our mission is too important. There’s no doubt we’re all working hard. It’s time to work smarter and work together to make quality an absolute priority. If something is not happening or isn’t right, stop. You have my commitment that I, and my leadership team, will back you,” she said.