The Obama Administration may disagree with the National Nuclear Security Administration reform approach taken by House authorizers, but NNSA Defense Programs chief Don Cook suggested yesterday that it is nonetheless time to look at how the NNSA oversees its contractors. Speaking at the Capitol Hill Club yesterday, Cook said he favored a “partnership” approach between the NNSA and its contractors based on the government-owned, contractor-operated model that has been in place for decades. “Getting to the point where we have oversight of these which is eyes-on, hands-off oversight has been my aspiration for several years, and it remains so,” Cook said, later noting that progress in safety and security issues over the last three to six years make now a prime time to examine the NNSA’s relationship with its contractors and how it conducts oversight. “The kinds of problems that are occurring are much smaller than the kinds of problems that occurred 20 years ago,” Cook said. “So what that suggests to me is it’s a reasonable time to think about how we should from the federal side, the federal entity, provide the appropriate oversight and governance of the labs and plants.”
In an effort to increase efficiency and productivity at the agency, language in the House-passed version of the Fiscal Year 2013 Defense Authorization Act would increase the autonomy of the agency, eliminate DOE Office of Health, Safety and Security oversight of the weapons complex, and streamline directives and regulations. Cook, however, suggested that NNSA was not in as drastic a need for reform as House authorizers have proposed. “Things are, in my opinion, much improved in the way that the M&Os are running the places for us, as the government,” Cook said. “I’m not dissatisfied with the way that’s going.”
