“Cooperative Threat Reduction” for US scientists & engineers? (aka what to do with laid-off US nuclear weaponeers)

[nerdgirl 0]

Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL), one of the US nuclear weapons labs, laid off/fired 164 weapons scientists at the end of May: ~60 engineers, 30 physicists, & ~15 chemists. LLNL is lead Dept of Energy lab for maintaining technical stockpile surety, i.e., confidence that the US nuclear weapons stockpile would function as intended.

Speculation of US weapons scientists taking their knowledge overseas is hyperbole.

But it does expose something of a internal inconsistency: through programs like Cooperative Threat Reduction – which I very strongly support – the US is paying for former Soviet weapons scientists (most nuclear and biological weapons scientists and engineers) to be retrained and pursue non-weapons/non-offensive work (as opposed to taking their skills and knowledge to Iran, DPRK, Syria). The CTR FY08 budget was $426M, which for a DoD program is small. And it’s accomplishments have been very large: >6,000 former Soviet nuclear warheads deactivated, >500 former Soviet ballistic missiles eliminated, ~120 former Soviet strategic bombers eliminated, ~450 former Soviet missile silos eliminated, 26 former Soviet ballistic missile submarines destroyed, upgraded storage and transportation of nuclear material and weapons, 150 metric tons of weapons-grade uranium eliminated, a major biological weapons production plant eliminated, construction of Shchuch’ye chemical weapons destruction facility, and ~50,000 former offensive weapons program chemical, biological, nuclear, and missile scientists supported in peaceful research work.

The LLNL lay-offs are just as much a result of the Bechtel/Battelle management take-over as anything and LLNL employees became government contractors (“GoCos”). Lay-offs are expected at Los Alamos National Lab (LANL) as well.

The Defense Science Board (DSB) has a Permanent Task Force on Nuclear Weapons Surety and two ad hoc task forces currently on Nuclear Weapons Effects National Enterprise and Nuclear Deterrence Skills. The DSB and the NNSA (part of Dept of Energy) have been asserting for over a decade that the lack of new individuals with the knowledges and skills in nuclear weapons design is a potential US security threat.

Excerpts from the 2006 “Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Future Strategic Strike Skills,”:

“It appears that a serious loss of certain critical strategic strike skills may occur within the next decade as senior design and operations personnel retire [or get laid off by Bechtel/Battelle? - nerdgirl]. The strategic strike area most at risk today is ballistic missiles: Current skills may not be able to cope with unanticipated failures requiring analysis, testing, and redesign. Design skills are rapidly disappearing, both for major redesigns of current systems and for the design of new strategic systems. DoD and industry have difficulty attracting and retaining the best and brightest students to the science and engineering disciplines relevant to maintaining current and future strategic strike capabilities.”

US kids who are smart enough to be seriously entertaining notions of pursuing studies and careers in technical fields are also smart enough to see that there are not a lot of jobs if one becomes specialized in certain fields.

Is it in the US national interest to ensure that individuals with such knowledge be gainfully employed and that a new cadre of individuals with such knowledge be fostered?

VR/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[kallend 2,150]

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Is it in the US national interest to ensure that individuals with such knowledge be gainfully employed and that a new cadre of individuals with such knowledge be fostered?

VR/Marg

YES, it is. Maintaining strategically important skills that take decades to acquire should not be subject to the whims of managers whose main concern is next quarter's bottom line.

PS I was an "affiliate" at LANL from 1987 to 1997.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[StreetScooby 5]

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Is it in the US national interest to ensure that individuals with such knowledge be gainfully employed and that a new cadre of individuals with such knowledge be fostered?

Yes, absolutely so.

We are all engines of karma

[kelpdiver 2]

are their skills applicable/maintainable if they are directly to the soon to be badly needed core of nuclear power scientists?

Are most of them older now - 50s and up? People had long seen the futility in studying nuclear engineering in school, and it would seem with the decline in weapon stocks starting Bush circa 1990 that there wouldn't be too much inducement on the weapons side.

[warpedskydiver 0]

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Is it in the US national interest to ensure that individuals with such knowledge be gainfully employed and that a new cadre of individuals with such knowledge be fostered?

VR/Marg

YES, it is. Maintaining strategically important skills that take decades to acquire should not be subject to the whims of managers whose main concern is next quarter's bottom line.

PS I was an "affiliate" at LANL from 1987 to 1997.

Did you tell them about your views on Nuclear Weapons?

Or did you just keep quiet and take the money?

[kallend 2,150]

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Is it in the US national interest to ensure that individuals with such knowledge be gainfully employed and that a new cadre of individuals with such knowledge be fostered?

VR/Marg

YES, it is. Maintaining strategically important skills that take decades to acquire should not be subject to the whims of managers whose main concern is next quarter's bottom line.

PS I was an "affiliate" at LANL from 1987 to 1997.

Did you tell them about your views on Nuclear Weapons?

Or did you just keep quiet and take the money?

What are my views on nuclear weapons and why would they care?

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[warpedskydiver 0]

PS I was an "affiliate" at LANL from 1987 to 1997.

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Did you tell them about your views on Nuclear Weapons?

Or did you just keep quiet and take the money?

What are my views on nuclear weapons and why would they care?

[kallend 2,150]

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PS I was an "affiliate" at LANL from 1987 to 1997.

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Did you tell them about your views on Nuclear Weapons?

Or did you just keep quiet and take the money?

What are my views on nuclear weapons and why would they care?

I made no statement as to what your stance on Nuclear Weaponry is.

So why do you ask me what it is?

I asked a question, and you attempted to dodge it (unsuccessfully).

I fail to see why YOU think they would care, what business it is of yours, and what purpose your silly question serves.

However, I do think nukes should be handled with care.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[kelpdiver 2]

you only have to write "yes" to answer his question, while answering nothing.

[champu 1]

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Is it in the US national interest to ensure that individuals with such knowledge be gainfully employed and that a new cadre of individuals with such knowledge be fostered?

VR/Marg

YES, it is. Maintaining strategically important skills that take decades to acquire should not be subject to the whims of managers whose main concern is next quarter's bottom line.

PS I was an "affiliate" at LANL from 1987 to 1997.

I can't speak for the DoE, but the DoD definitely looks kindly upon all the advanced degrees companies like mine sponsor. It's what got me involved (that, and I can skydive year round in SoCal )

[nerdgirl 0]

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are their skills applicable/maintainable if they are directly to the soon to be badly needed core of nuclear power scientists?

Are most of them older now - 50s and up?

I don't know the specific demographics, technical backgrounds (beyond what has been publically reported), or skill sets.

It's unlikely that any more than a few will have skill sets directly transferable to civilian nuclear power generation or reactor design. Speculate more likely will be defense & intelligence community support contractor positions.

/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[nerdgirl 0]

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I can't speak for the DoE, but the DoD definitely looks kindly upon all the advanced degrees companies like mine sponsor. It's what got me involved (that, and I can skydive year round in SoCal )

You’re correct. The DoD, particularly OSD AT&L & the service laboratories (ONR, ARO, AFOSR), consider highly knowledgable, technically adroit individuals critical to national security.

VR/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[kelpdiver 2]

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It's unlikely that any more than a few will have skill sets directly transferable to civilian nuclear power generation or reactor design. Speculate more likely will be defense & intelligence community support contractor positions.

In particular I wondered if they would be useful with breeder reactors that generate potential weapons material.