Lax security cited in Y-12 intrusion

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Department of Energy’s inspector general blamed significant security failures for an unprecedented intrusion into the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge, including broken detection equipment, a poor response from guards and insufficient federal oversight of private contractors running the complex.

During the early morning hours of July 28, three peace protesters, including an 82-year-old Roman Catholic nun, cut through three fences surrounding the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility at Y-12 and defaced the building with blood and spray paint.

Inspector General Gregory Friedman called the intrusion a “wake-up” call to correct anumber of security and oversight problems and noted the three gained access to an area “directly adjacent to one of the nation’s most critically important and highly security weapons-related facilities.” The building is the nation’s storehouse for uranium used in nuclear warheads.

The inspector general’s report faulted federal officials under the National Nuclear Security Administration and the contractors they used to operate the facility and provide security personnel. The Y-12 site is managed by Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Y-12 LLC, which does security planning. WSI-OR. Inc., formerly Wackenhut, provides the personnel that make up the Y-12 security forces.