Summary

The Energy Department's (DOE) national laboratories have made vital contributions to the nation's defense and civilian science and technology efforts. However, the national laboratories today lack clearly defined missions and suffer from poor coordination to solve national problems. As a result, DOE has underutilized the laboratories' talents to tackle complex issues and these institutions may be unprepared to meet future expectations. GAO raises questions about the laboratories' ability to help the United States meet its changing defense needs at the end of the Cold War and compete against growing foreign competition in technology.

GAO found that: (1) the DOE laboratories do not have clearly defined missions and laboratory managers believe that the lack of DOE direction is compromising their ability to achieve national priorities; (2) DOE manages the laboratories on a program-by-program basis and has underutilized the laboratories' special multidisciplinary abilities to solve complex, cross-cutting scientific and technology problems; (3) although DOE has developed a strategic plan to integrate its missions and programs in five main areas, it still may not be able to effectively manage the laboratories in the future; (4) the costly and inefficient day-to-day management of the laboratories inhibits a productive working relationship between the laboratories and DOE; (5) DOE does not balance laboratory research and administrative objectives; (6) the laboratories fear that rising research costs due to costly administrative requirements will limit their ability to compete for research projects, which in turn will hamper their commercial technology mission; (7) DOE has instituted contract reforms which it believes will lead to a more productive management approach; and (8) the laboratories can make vital contributions in many important areas such as weapons systems, energy conservation, environmental cleanup, and commercialized technologies with proper mission focus and management direction.