Energy Secretary Richardson: “Our Labs...Are Now Under Siege”

“Anyone who wants to close off our labs will have to go through me -- and I never give in.” - Energy Secretary Bill Richardson

Bill Richardson is a tough negotiator, having dealt with a myriad of sensitive problems around the world. Now he has a new problem that is about a fifteen minute walk from his office legislation just introduced in Congress to close Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, and Sandia National Laboratories to individuals from “sensitive countries.”

Richardson spoke before the Associated Press Annual Meeting earlier this week (before the introduction of S. 887 by Senator Richard Shelby, described in FYI #75.) His speech dealt with his department’s programs to reduce “global nuclear peril.” Selections from his presentation follow:

“An enormous amount of my work now takes place in the former- Soviet Union. We are all aware that our nation’s relationship with Russia is one of central importance....”

“For decades, our nations built massive weapons arsenals, arming upward and ever upward. Today, as we work to downsize this legacy, we have gained a unique understanding of one another, one that informs all our interactions in a post-Cold War world. While we have not solved Churchill’s ‘riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma,’ we have, nonetheless, made progress.

“My Department works to lessen the global nuclear peril by executing the nation’s most-important nuclear non-proliferation programs, eliminating excess weapons grade materials, and adhering to international arms control treaties. We have already dismantled over 11,000 nuclear weapons. And we’re working with the Russian Duma to get them to ratify START II so we can begin negotiations on START III.

“But we are also facing the daunting harvest of the very weapons we dismantle. The nuclear investment made by the United States and Russia during the Cold War resulted in a massive legacy of nuclear waste and excess materials. Today, these materials signify a lurking danger, with Russia now suffering one of the worst depressions of any industrialized nation, at any time. It would be a catastrophe for these materials to get in the wrong hands -- but such an eventuality is increasingly possible....”

“I would say that, in some cases, Russia’s system of security controls is at the level of a combination lock on a gym locker. Resources are simply not available to maintain it. There is much work to be done.

“Now, it only takes a small quantity of these materials to produce a nuclear bomb -- a piece of plutonium the size of a softball is enough to produce an explosion several times the size of that in Hiroshima in 1945. Some nights, this specter leaves me sleepless.

“Forecasts of continued despair bring new urgency to our efforts. And since I’ve been at the agency, I’ve strengthened our nuclear nonproliferation staff, and I’ve brought in more experts on Russia. Department of Energy workers are now engaged in all facets of the Russian nuclear complex. Our ability to establish this crucial program of cooperation -- called the Materials Protection, Control, and Accounting Task Force -- succeeded largely because scientists from Department labs were able to gain access to Russian facilities on a laboratory-to-laboratory basis.

“As a result, we are now cooperating at virtually every single site in Russia that stores or uses plutonium or highly enriched uranium....”

“Now, you may ask: Why is the Department of Energy involved in nuclear materials management? That is because the Department, as a science, technology, and national security agency, brings unique capabilities to the table. Science and technology are not merely adjunct parts of this Department, they are the foundation on which all the Department’s work is based. Our laboratories - percolating with innovation -- form this foundation. But they are now under siege.

“The recent allegations of espionage at the Department’s nuclear weapons laboratories have created an uproar among some who believe America should close its labs off from foreign cooperation. Now, I’ve said it before and I will say it again - and explicitly: the so-called ‘belief’ of closing-off our labs is short-sighted, and it is wrong.

“We engage in lab-to-lab research because it is in our national security interest. We would not be making the progress in Russia that I just mentioned without this cooperation. It is the key that unlocks many of our national challenges. It would be a disastrous mistake to throw away such an asset.

“This interaction also serves other national interests. It expands our scientific base, to include minds that are the world’s first and finest. No matter how patriotic you are, you know that America does not hold a monopoly on innovation. The names Szilard, Einstein, Teller, Alvarez, and Fermi remind us of that. And let me remind you that the person accused of misappropriating Department information was an insider - not a foreign visitor.

“For science to rapidly advance at the frontiers, it must be open.

“I believe in this policy, and have worked to defend it. I rolled up my sleeves and got my hands dirty looking for the root of a problem that started back when I was just getting elected to Congress. Over that much time, a lot of dust settles. But the President was committed to cleaning it up, and he sent me to do it. And I’m doing it, quickly and aggressively.

“One example is what I’ve done with the Department of Energy’s counterintelligence program. I have taken a number of vigorous actions, including:
-- hiring counterintelligence professionals to be based at the labs;
-- doubling the counterintelligence budget in 1999 and again in 2000;
-- instituting more extensive security reviews - including the use of polygraphs;
-- strengthening cyber security; and
-- changing the screening and approval process for foreign visitors.

“And just recently, I ordered a stand-down of the classified computers at all three of our weapons’ laboratories -- and I only ordered them back on-line when I was satisfied that real progress was being made in establishing better security.

“So we are taking steps to protect our nation’s secrets. I believe we have a strong platform in place, one that serves every aspect of our work - from San Diego to St. Petersburg. Anyone who wants to close off our labs will have to go through me - and I never give in. I will hold my ground because I believe our national security interests can be safely defended. Abraham Lincoln strove to put aside differences for the betterment of the country when he said, ‘Let us strive to finish the work we are in.’ I ask the same of those who challenge our ability to finish our work.”