March 17, 2014

ACTING NNSA CHIEF: ADMINISTRATOR NOMINEE KLOTZ ON BOARD WITH REORG

By ExchangeMonitor

A proposed National Nuclear Security Administration management reorganization, which would streamline the agency’s reporting structure and strengthen the responsibilities of its site offices, has the blessing of retired Air Force Gen. Frank Klotz, the Obama Administration’s nominee to head the agency, acting NNSA chief Bruce Held told NW&M Monitor yesterday. During an NNSA all-hands meeting yesterday, Held, as expected, rolled out plans to shift the site offices under the Office of Administrator after they had previously reported to the Office of Infrastructure and Operations as well as streamline security management across the weapons complex. The NNSA appears poised to move out on the reorganization efforts, the fourth shift involving the site office reporting structure in the last six years, even as it remains unclear when Klotz will be confirmed by the Senate. “It’s a common sense thing,” said Held, who said the plans had been discussed with Klotz and endorsed by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “Hopefully Frank will be confirmed expeditiously but the Secretary wants to move forward,” Held said, adding: “None of this is set in stone but it is in fact how our thinking is moving.”

The aim of shifting the site office reporting structure to the Office of Administrator—and specifically under Assistant Principal Deputy Administrator Michael Lempke—is to enhance the responsibility of the agency’s field elements, Held said. “You look at the reporting structure in the organization chart and they’re way, way down the org chart,” Held said, referring to the site offices. “If you want to empower and enable the site managers to be the personal representatives of the Secretary [of Energy] and the Administrator you’ve got to elevate them up the org chart. That’s very, very important when you’re out in the field.”

Currently, Lempke serves as both the Assistant Principal Deputy Administrator and the head of the Office of Infrastructure and Operations, but Held said those jobs would be split between two officials in the future. Lempke is likely to continue serving as the Assistant Principal Deputy Administrator. Held emphasized that the decision was not a criticism of Lempke “in any sense,” but he declined to say whether Lempke would remain as the Source Selection Authority on the Y-12/Pantex procurement. “I just don’t discuss contract things,” Held said.

Under the proposed security changes, the Chief of Defense Nuclear Security would be in charge of implementing programmatic decisions, but policy decisions would fall under the responsibility of the Energy Secretary and the NNSA Administrator. Site offices would be in charge of executing the programmatic guidance. The Office of Defense Nuclear Security was stripped of its role in implementing security across the weapons complex in the wake of last year’s Y-12 security breach. Defense Nuclear Security was left in charge of security policy and assessment, while day-to-day security operations was shifted to the Office of Infrastructure and Operations.

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