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The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Lawrence Livermore AND OBJECTIVE National Laboratory (LLNL) supports the maintenance of a safe, secure, and reliable nuclear weapon stockpile and provides expertise toward the prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terrorist attacks. LLNL is a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) site operated by the University of California. In support of its core mission, Livermore maintains a protective force that is trained and equipped to secure its facilities and operations. For the past five years, the Laboratory’s protective force has maintained a supply room that provides equipment required for Security Police Officers (SPOs) to carry out their duties. We were told by a knowledgeable Livermore employee that about $380,000 in Government funds was expended annually on Government property that is issued by the supply room to the Laboratory’s SPOs. In February 2006, the Office of Inspector General received an allegation that the LLNL protective force supply room was being mismanaged. Specifically, it was alleged that: (1) there was no organized method of accountability and distribution of equipment; (2) equipment was scattered throughout the supply room with no apparent system of organization; (3) orders for equipment were written down on scratch paper, with no formal ordering or order tracking system; (4) there were instances where equipment ordered for specific individuals was not received or was received but given to other officers; and, (5) when equipment was issued, it was not documented. In addition, concern was expressed that, because of the poor property controls, there was a strong possibility for equipment to be diverted and resold outside the Laboratory. The objective of this inspection was to review the adequacy ofinternal controls associated with LLNL’s protective force supply room. To provide context for this review, we also conducted limited reviews of the protective force supply rooms at two other NNSA facilities, Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos) and Sandia National Laboratory-New Mexico (Sandia).

Protective Force Property Management at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Section 2 of the U.S. Department of Energy's Strategic Plan is Secretary Bodman's introduction.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has a rich and diverse history with its lineage tracing back to the Manhattan Project and the race to develop an atomic bomb during World War II. Following that war, Congress created the Atomic Energy Commission (1946) to take control over the scientific and industrial complex supporting the Manhattan Project and to maintain civilian government control over atomic research and development.

The United States has always been a Nation of innovators and the Department of Energy has been a major contributor to that legacy. DOE-supported basic research has produced Nobel Laureates, numerous paradigm-shifting scientific discoveries, and revolutionary technologies that have spawned entirely new industries. Such breakthroughs have created fundamentally new energy options, underpinned U.S. national security during challenging times, and contributed to the health of our citizenry and the stewardship of our Nation’s environmental resources. This great engine of U.S. innovation has played an important role in fueling a strong economy and one of the highest standards of living the world has ever known.

In 2000, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) was established as a new element within the Department in response to a Congressional mandate to reinvigorate the security posture throughout the nuclear weapons program and to reaffirm the Nation’s commitment to maintaining the nuclear deterrence capabilities of the United States. NNSA was chartered to better focus management attention on enhanced security, proactive management practices, and mission focus within the Department’s national defense and nonproliferation programs. The Department performs its national security mission involving nuclear weapons and nuclear materials and technology through the NNSA.

The scope of the Department’s environmental cleanup includes stabilization and disposition of some of the earth’s most hazardous materials generated from spent nuclear fuel and nuclear radioactive waste material. The cleanup program resulting from over five decades of nuclear weapons production and energy research is the largest active cleanup program in the world. In addition, after active cleanup, residual risks will remain for significant periods of time at most DOE cleanup sites. The Department will take appropriate action to protect human health and the environment from these residual risks. The Department continues its effort to construct a repository for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste.

Section 10 of the U.S. Department of Energy's Strategic Plan discusses Linking Strategic Goals to Annual Performance Goals through Program Assessment. DOE uses a variety of methods and tools to assess its programs. Internally, programs are required to report quarterly on their progress in meeting annual performance metrics. The data is then consolidated for senior management review.

Major DOE Laboratories & Field Facilities, Table of Contents, and Operating Principals