A newly released audit report by the Department of Energy’s Inspector General found that the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant spent more than $50 million as part of a Security Improvement Project, which was completed in 2013 in response to weaknesses identified by the IG and others. Much of the project was devoted to replacing an “aged and obsolete” security system with the Argus system developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
The audit report found that even though Y-12 completed the Security Improvement Project within its schedule and under its budget a couple of years ago, the project was “not scoped or funded” to address all of the Argus implementation issues at the Oak Ridge plant — some of which affected the efficiency of the security system.
Because of that, the project did not meet the National Nuclear Security Administration’s “mandate to develop and implement a comprehensive method for managing and integrating the site’s security and access control systems.”
The report said that the Argus installation was proposed to meet the NNSA’s mandate by updating all the components of the security infrastructure, “officials did not replace certain system components, such as the legacy alarm wiring cabinets and sensors.”
Because of that, “This resulted in compatibility issues and significantly increased the number of false or nuisance alarms that operators received,” the report states.
Also, local site-map design issues within the Argus system resulted in errors that “negatively affected the efficiency” of the security and alarm operations, the IG noted.
The report said that federal and contractor officials encountered a number of challenges that impacted plans to fully implement upgrades to the Y-12 security system.
“Perhaps one of the most significant challenges was the need for NNSA officials to balance the requirement to install Argus with available resources,” the report said. “This ultimately drove decisions regarding the system’s implementation approach and limited the use of HSPD-12 (Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12) technology to enhance physical access controls throughout the site.”
NNSA reported concurred with the report’s recommendations and has set about making corrections.
In a letter to IG Greg Friedman, NNSA Administrator Frank G. Klotz acknowledged that more was left to be done beyond the Security Improvement Project.
“NNSA recognized that the broader security needs of the site would require supplemental construction projects and/or operating funded improvements,” Klotz wrote.
He added: “The security operations of our facilities is a top priority.”
The management response included details of some of the corrective actions at Y-12.
According to the report, Y-12 officials told the IG that until more funding is available and “deficiencies in the legacy infrastructure can be addressed,” the Oak Ridge plant will continue to compensate for those weaknesses by using more personnel “at significant additional cost.”
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