DOE TO TAP ACTING NNSA ADMINISTRATOR FOR NEW SECURITY ROLE

Bruce Held, the acting head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, would be the Department of Energy’s new associate deputy secretary and coordinator of security under a new DOE reorganization of its safety and security functions, Weapons Complex Monitor has learned. DOE unveiled new details of its reorganization plans yesterday at an all-hands meeting. The reorganization would also include the creation of three new Chief Security Officer positions, each of which would report to the Department’s Under Secretaries, according to officials familiar with the proposal.

As Weapons Complex Morning Briefing first reported earlier this week, officials at yesterday’s meeting also said that DOE’s reorganization plans would entail separating out the Office of Oversight and Enforcement from the current Office of Health, Safety and Security. In its new role, DOE’s oversight and enforcement capabilities, along with the National Training Center, would report directly to the Secretary of Energy  and would be headed by Glenn Podonsky, who currently serves as the Department’s Chief Health, Safety and Security Officer. The remainder of HSS, which would focus largely on safety and security policy, would report to the DOE Under Secretary for Management and Performance. The timing for the reorganization of the Department’s safety and security functions remains unclear. DOE did not respond to requests for comment late yesterday.