Energy looking outside for security help

Faced with continuing security lapses at its nuclear facilities, the Energy

Department has decided to hire outside security experts to tame the problem.

Energy Secretary Bill Richardson announced last week that he would carry

out recommendations from the National Nuclear Security Administration on

ways to tighten security at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Lawrence

Livermore National Laboratory.

The recommendations, contained in a report by NNSA Administrator John

Gordon, include bringing in outside experts to develop tighter security

policies and creating a new position at the University of California to

manage security for the weapons laboratories.

"By subcontracting, they draw on a lot of expertise. Certainly, you'll

find that these subcontractors employ a lot of former FBI and [Defense Department]

types," said John Belluardo, director of public relations for DOE in California.

Other steps being taken in the security arena:

* DOE will commission the Center for Strategic and International Studies

to study how to strengthen security at the agency.

* Richard Kendall was named the first chief information officer at Los

Alamos. His job will be to develop and direct an integrated policy for information

management. Since 1999, he has directed cybersecurity enhancements at Los

Alamos.