Future of NNSA Mission at SRS

A June 29 memo, sent by NNSA chief Lisa Gordon-Hagerty to the Savannah River Field Office, announced the creation of a working group to study at least three options for the future of NNSA's weapons mission at the Savannah River Site (SRS).  The NNSA Administrator wants the working group to give her an interim briefing on these options by Sept. 27, and a final briefing by Dec. 14, according to the memo.  In the memo, Gor don-Hagerty stated, "In light of this injunction, NNSA must re-evaluate the viability to execute enduring missions at the Savannah River Site".

The memo states, at a minimum, the options that should be evaluated are:

1.    NNSA takes landlord responsibility of SRS, to include Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). This option assumes NNSA maintains its ongoing and future mission activities, to include: Tritium Operations, Plutonium Pit Production, and the Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program. This option should assume the Department of Energy Office Environmental Management (EM) will become a tenant and retain responsibility for all EM related contracts and clean-up activities.

2.    NNSA puts in place a separate contract for all mission related activities at SRS. This option assumes NNSA maintains its ongoing and future mission activities, to include: Tritium Operations, Plutonium Pit Production, and the Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program. This option also assumes EM retains landlord responsibility of SRS, to include SRNL, and retains responsibility for all EM related contracts and clean-up activities.

3.    NNSA exercises the option within the Consolidated Nuclear Solutions, LLC contract or utilizes a similar consolidated contract strategy to manage Tritium Operations and will consider relocating Tritium activities to another site as infrastructure recapitalization becomes necessary. This assumes that NNSA is unable to proceed with future mission activities, to include: plutonium Pit Production and the Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program at SRS.

This last option could be a tremendous loss for SRS. Although not fully documented, the loss of operating budgets could reach $700 million and workforce reductions could be close to 4,000 people if you include the loss of the existing Tritium mission, the existing SRNL labor support of NNSA work, the current and future Surplus Plutonium Disposition activities and the future plutonium Pit Production mission activities.

Back on March 9 of this year, Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, who was sworn in Feb. 22 as the Department of Energy's Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and the Administrator of NNSA, visited SRS. At that time, she said, "I promised Senator Lindsey Graham during my confirmation hearing that I would visit the Savannah River Site to become fully acquainted with this community, and I'm happy to be here today to fulfill that promise."  "Savannah River's workforce is world-class and NNSA is committed to a close partnership with this community."

NDAA of 2019 Implications

During the week of July 23, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees released details of the conference report authorizing funding for the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019.

The conference report on the NDAA policy bill leaves out Senate-approved language that sought to give the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) administrator authority over their policies "without direction or oversight" from the Energy secretary.  It also zeroes out defense funding for Yucca Mountain waste repository.

It retains the FY18 national defense authorization waiver authority to allow termination of Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MOX) and funds MOX at the budget request level of $220 million. This compromise drops the House bill's addition of $115 million for the project. The Senate amendment, which contained a provision that would prohibit the Department of Energy from obligating or expending any funds for fiscal year 2019 or prior fiscal years to terminate construction and project support activities at MOX, was dropped. Also dropped was Senate language that said to convert the MOX to be used for any purpose other than its original mission was prohibited.  The big test now will be how much the appropriators decide to fund MOX construction.

The language agreed upon requires an independent review of NNSA's analysis of alternatives for selecting a location for pits production and requires certifications and updates on the plan to increase pit production. It also mandates a detailed plan to produce pits at Los Alamos National Laboratory if pit production at Savannah River Site, SC is not operational by 2030.

The House approved the compromised bill in a 359-54 vote on July 26, sending it to the Senate for a final vote expected the first week of August.  The president would then sign the final version into law.  If approved by the Senate and the president by the end of August, it would be the first time an NDAA has been passed before the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year since 1996. It would also mark the earliest passage of an NDAA since 1977.

In addition, the Senate is hoping to finish nine of its twelve annual spending bills by the end of the first week of August as well, leaving fights over funding bills for Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and the Commerce and Justice departments until the government shutdown deadline at the end of September. The House has passed six of its annual funding bills.  Some parts of the government may need to be funded by stopgap spending bills to avoid a shutdown.

Cyber & Education Connections

A cyber tsunami is headed to the  SRSCRO region, and the first waves are already being felt - that is one of the many messages conveyed during Cyber & Education Connections on July 24, 2018.  The event focused on workforce needs to support the region's growing cyber sector. Panel discussions involved economic developers, Fort Gordon and Savannah River Site leaders, private industry cyber employers and educators from across the area.  

Seated in the new Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center in Augusta, Georgia, panelists agreed that Fort Gordon's cyber mission growth serves as a catalyst for expanding cybersecurity workforce needs. But clearly other regional industries are addressing cybersecurity challenges including manufacturing, nuclear & health sectors of the area. 

What are the cyber workforce jobs?  The answer can be complicated, according to the panelists.  The answers involve anyone in a role that assesses, maintains and defends data.  

As technology moves faster each year, educators are working to prepare the next generation of workers. The task might seem daunting.  Employers provided some guidance by explaining important attributes they are seeking such as teamwork, character, communication skills and the ability to understand how things work.

As the first waves of this cyber tsunami impact the region, industry leaders believe that now is the time to expedite regional partnerships that ultimately attract, develop and retain the very best workforce the nation has to offer.   

Cyber & Education Connections was hosted by the SRS Community Reuse Organization in partnership with Augusta University and the CSRA Alliance for Fort Gordon. For more about Cyber & Education Connections click here.