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United States: Sandia President Acknowledges Security Force Concerns A continuing investigation at the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico has discovered a number of serious concerns about the management of the facility’s security force, Sandia President C. Paul Robinson said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 28). “Let me say right off the top that these are by and large internal management issues that we are now addressing,” Robinson told reporters. “There is no evidence that at any time classified or sensitive material has been compromised, and our lab is secure,” he added. Two recently completed investigations — a self-assessment and one conducted by the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Sandia Site Office — investigated a number of allegations within the security forces concerning a breakdown of discipline, lax security, theft and other claims, Robinson said. Some of the investigated incidents included security guards watching television or sleeping while on duty, the theft of computer parts and the disappearance and later recovery of a set of keys to laboratory buildings, he said. The NNSA investigation did not find a broad pattern of security abuses, nor did it question the overall effectiveness of the laboratories’ security, a Sandia press release said. The investigation did identify a number of concerns as to how Sandia manages its security, the release said. Sandia has initiated a number of actions to resolve security concerns, such as disciplining security guards and managers involved in the identified incidents, Robinson said. “As our investigation continues, additional disciplinary actions could be taken,” he said. Robinson also said he has requested the creation of a special committee of Sandia oversight officials to recommend necessary management changes and corrective measures at the facility. The members of this committee will have experience in the military and in law enforcement, the Sandia release said (Sandia National Laboratories release, March 20). In his remarks, Robinson dismissed comparisons between the security concerns at Sandia and complaints of mismanagement at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. “I would find it hard to argue that they are similar problems,” he said (Leslie Hoffman, Associated Press, March 21).
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