Global Security Newswire

A delegation of U.S. officials and lawmakers led by Deputy Energy Secretary Kyle McSlarrow visited the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico yesterday to begin a review of security concerns at the nuclear weapons research facility, according to Agence France-Presse (see GSN, July 19).

The delegation spent several hours touring the laboratory, met with employees and received briefings on the recent security lapses, including the reported disappearance earlier this month of classified computer disks, according to Los Alamos officials (Agence France-Presse, July 20).

In addition to McSlarrow, the delegation included National Nuclear Security Administration chief Linton Brooks, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas) and Representative Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), according to the New York Times.

“I was frankly dismayed after previous security breaches to see how these new problems could erupt,” DeGette said after the visit. “It’s clear to me the steps the previous leadership took were woefully inadequate. I don’t think some of the researchers understand the seriousness of complying with all security procedures,” she added.

DeGette also said that while Los Alamos Director Peter Nanos may be committed to improving security at the facility, the House energy committee would “keep a very close eye on this” (Chang/Blakeslee, New York Times, July 20).

Meanwhile, Los Alamos officials told the delegation that they are still searching for the two missing computer storage disks, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“I think in the short term they will be beefing up security measures,” DeGette said. “We want both short-term and long-term changes,” she added. (Vartabedian/Hanley, Los Angeles Times, July 20).