Secretary Sweet-Talks Los Alamos Staff

The red carpet was rolled out at Los Alamos National Laboratory yesterday, as Department of Energy secretary Spencer Abraham was in town to touch base with staff at the troubled research site.

The New Mexico facility, birthplace of the atom bomb, hit the headlines earlier this year when two disks containing classified information were reported missing during a routine inventory (see Los Alamos Searches for Lost Media and Los Alamos Lessons Loom Large).

Fallout from the storage snafu extended far beyond Los Alamos. After the disks were reported missing, a worried Abraham promptly ordered all DOE operations using classified hard drives or computer disks to stand down until procedures were improved (see Abraham Orders CREM Stand Down).

Staff at Los Alamos have been under intense scrutiny since the problems emerged, not least from disciplinarian lab director Peter Nanos, a former admiral. Speaking to employees yesterday, Abraham reiterated his support for Nanos' decision "to take strong disciplinary action to address those few who thought they didn't need to follow the rules."

Although some staff have already been fired over the incident, the government energy supremo hinted at the impact on the lab's future. "We must not lose the confidence of those who ultimately will make decisions affecting the future of this institution," he said.The University of California has run Los Alamos since the site opened in 1943, although the missing disks prompted calls for the lab to be handed over to a new organization. Senator Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) introduced legislation during the summer asking the DOE to terminate its contract with the University.

But Abraham said Los Alamos is now back on track. "We have to present a track record on science, security, and safety that answers every criticism and precludes future [criticisms]. This is today's challenge," he said.

There was some sweet-talking, too: "When people think about world-class science, cutting-edge experimentation, and groundbreaking research, they will always think immediately of Los Alamos," Abraham gushed.

Events at Los Alamos took something of a farcical turn back in August. A report from the Associated Press suggested that the classified computer disks may not actually be missing. In fact, they may never have existed at all (see Los Alamos Disks May Not Be Lost).

Even now, just over three months after the disks were reported missing, there is still uncertainty about what actually happened: The lab is yet to release the results of a recent inquiry into the incident. Los Alamos did not return NDCF's calls today, leaving us unable to confirm whether Abraham helped search for the missing disks himself.James Rogers, Site Editor, Next-gen Data Center Forum