Global Security Newswire

Mock terrorists successfully acquired simulated nuclear-weapon materials from a U.S. nuclear laboratory during a test of the site's protective forces several weeks ago, Time magazine reported yesterday (see GSN, May 12).

The exercise at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California highlighted equipment and other security weaknesses that critics say should spur the U.S. Energy Department to accelerate a plan to remove nuclear materials at the site to safer storage facilities (Adam Zagorin, Time May 12).

"Suicidal terrorists would not need to steal the materials, they simply could detonate them into an improvised nuclear device on the spot," Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight, said in a press release.  "That is why it is urgent to remove those materials from the lab, rather than settling for DOE's drawn-out timetable of removing the materials by 2012" (see GSN, March 28; Project on Government Oversight release, May 13).

Simulated attacks are performed about every 12 months at U.S. nuclear facilities; attackers try to penetrate a site's defenses, gain control of nuclear materials, and hold their ground long enough to assemble a crude nuclear weapon, Time reported.

In the recent Livermore exercise, the attackers defeated the facility's security teams.  In addition, a much-heralded Gatling gun failed to operate properly, an embarrassment for the weapon which has been added to national laboratory defenses after earlier security concerns.

The exercise results were quickly reported to Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman.

"People who know about this are very concerned; they are not happy," one senior congressional aide told Time.

The Energy Department remained officially confident in Livermore's security.

"We do not believe the materials at Livermore are at risk, and we do believe that security is strong," said a department spokesperson (Zagorin, Time).

In a Friday statement, however, the department appeared to acknowledge some lapses.

"The LLNL inspection highlighted a number of areas that require immediate attention," said a statement from the department's National Nuclear Security Administration (U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration release, May 9).