Anastasio emphasizes importance of cybsecurity at all-employee meeting
“We have a huge opportunity to make real improvements here, to make the Laboratory what we want it to be,” said Laboratory Director Mike Anastasio during an all-employee meeting on Monday.
The director’s talk focused on recent Congressional hearings on security at Los Alamos but also included information about safety and the budget. Anastasio noted the need for all employees to work together to make change and emphasized the seriousness of the hearings in Washington, D.C., and the subcommittee’s concern about the pattern of security problems at the Laboratory.
“Congress focused on the pattern of behavior, not the single egregious act,” said Anastasio, adding that Congress is ready to take drastic action in order to change this pattern. He then showed clips from the hearing to demonstrate in their own words the subcommittee’s seriousness about the need for change at the Lab.
“The clear frustration you heard was expressed by every member of the subcommittee in their opening statements,” Anastasio said.
Anastasio also summarized the main points of his testimony, saying that security lapses are unacceptable, that he owns the problem but the entire Lab owns the solution, that he took immediate action, that he is taking a different approach to managing the problem, and that he has accelerated plans for a robust system to address security.
He then discussed his path forward, which emphasizes the need for the Laboratory’s work force to work together and take personal responsibility for the future of the Lab.
“These are not problems for someone else to fix, but for all of us to fix,” Anastasio said.
Anastasio’s strategy to make the needed fixes includes creating a detailed plan of action focused on cybersecurity. This plan will have specific goals and milestones, will anticipate coming risks, and will be sustainable. He also wants to create clear and comprehensive security policies that apply across the Lab.
The director discussed the SuperVTR project, which will consolidate one to two dozen vaults into one. He also highlighted removing unnecessary classified removable electronic media (CREM) and classified documents as near-term actions for improving security. He asked employees to address security issues with coworkers and supervisors to prevent security problems.
Anastasio outlined the need for a communication plan that will allow Lab employees to understand where the Lab is heading and what we are accomplishing. It also will serve to inform those outside about changes at the Laboratory.
In addition to the hearings, Anastasio discussed recent safety incidents. During January, the Lab saw a spike in safety incidents, he said. Most of these incidents were attributable to winter weather, but Anastasio reminded the work force to integrate safety into everything they do and to make safety a part of everyday life.
Anastasio’s talk also included the budget challenges the Lab faces. Anastasio said the Laboratory’s budget for fiscal year 2008 budget (from the Department of Energy) is about $1.84 billion, or slightly below the current fiscal year budget. He said the Lab will continue to manage work force attrition in order to have the appropriate-size work force for the budget.
The director also recognized — to applause from the full National Security Sciences Building Auditorium — Malcolm Andrews and My Hang Huynh, two Lab employees who received the E.O. Lawrence Award.
The director’s talk will be rebroadcast at 8 a.m. today on LABNET Channel 10. Check the Channel 10 for additional rebroadcast times by clicking here.
Anastasio testified before the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce on January 30. A rebroadcast of that testimony will air at 12:30 p.m. every day this week on LANBET Channel 10. Anastasio's written testimony is available from the January 31 Daily NewsBulletin.
Additionally, a LANLcast link to his testimony can be watched by going to http://int.lanl.gov/media/ online and clicking on the hyperlink above the LABNET Channel 10 schedule. Employees must have Real Media Player to be able to watch the testimony.
