Energy Department's "Security Czar" will visit Ames Lab on March 8

AMES, Iowa -- Gen. Eugene Habiger, the security "czar" for the U.S. Department of Energy, will tour the DOE's Ames Laboratory on March 8.

During Habiger's visit, he will tour Ames Lab facilities, hear presentations on its security program and hold an informational meeting with employees. Ames Laboratory is one of DOE's 15 national laboratories. No classified research is conducted at Ames Lab.

Habiger was appointed in July to direct DOE's newly created Office of Security and Emergency Operations as part of Energy Secretary Bill Richardson's plan to strengthen security and counterintelligence efforts. Habiger, a retired U.S. Air Force general who served as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Strategic Command, has been implementing security reforms aimed at restoring public confidence in the DOE. His visit to Ames Lab and other DOE facilities is designed to determine how the new security policies are being implemented and how they are affecting laboratory/field activities.

Steps taken in recent months at Ames Laboratory include improvements in computer security and training sessions for all Lab employees that reinforced the need for safeguarding data and technologies.

Ames Laboratory is operated for the DOE by Iowa State University. The Lab conducts research into various areas of national concern, including energy resources, high-speed computer design, environmental cleanup and restoration, and the synthesis and study of new materials.

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