This month NNSA team members received honors as part of the Secretary’s Awards Program. The program, designed to recognize service and contributions of Department of Energy (DOE) employees to mission in benefit of the Nation, is comprised of several award types. The Secretary’s Honor Awards represent the highest internal non-monetary recognition that DOE employees can receive. The Secretary’s Appreciation Awards are given to individuals and groups for superlative contributions to the Agency. NNSA team members received both categories of awards at two ceremonies.
Several NNSA team members were included on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Support Team that received the Secretary of Energy’s Achievement Award for exceptional technical support to the Secretary of Energy and the U.S. Government during negotiations on the landmark deal to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The rapid evaluation of technical options, supported by extensive analytical work, provided timely and key support to the negotiations that led to the signing of the JCPOA in Vienna, Austria, in July 2015.
Last week, the NNSA team that contributed to the Nuclear Security Summit in spring 2016 received Secretary’s Appreciation Award. The 2016 Nuclear Security Summit was the last in a series of four global summits in which world leaders identified steps to reduce the threat of nuclear terrorism by minimizing the use of civil highly enriched uranium, securing nuclear materials, and countering nuclear smuggling. Leaders also discussed how the vital work the Nuclear Security Summit process can be carried forward.
The NNSA team also supported Secretary Moniz, Deputy Secretary Sherwood-Randall, and Administrator Klotz in preparing for Apex Gold, the first-ever minister-level gathering to identify national and international actions to address a nuclear crisis.
For both key events, the volume of work, often under demanding deadlines, required a substantial amount of time and effort on the part of all the award nominees. Accomplishments under Apex Gold and the Summit—and the effective engagements by the President, the Secretary, and the Administrator—would not have been possible without the NNSA team members’ professional acumen, personal dedication, and exceptional performance.
