Media advisory: On the day of his visit, Gen. Habiger
will take questions from reporters briefly at 11:15 a.m. in 111 TASF (Ames Lab
administrative office building). Please contact Susan Dieterle at (515) 294-1405 to
arrange for parking and to get directions, etc.
For release: March 3, 2000
Contacts:
David Baldwin, Safeguards and Security, (515) 294-2069
Steve Karsjen, Public Affairs, (515) 294-5643
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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