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June
20, 2002
Energy Department Implements Security Reforms
Moves Will Strengthen Both Science and Security
Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham today announced
a number of security policy reforms that he has
asked Under Secretaries John Gordon and Robert
Card to implement throughout the Department and
the Department of Energy (DOE) laboratory complex.
The Secretary's announcement came as the department
released the Report of the Center for Strategic
and International Studies (CSIS) Commission of
Science and Security. The report, commissioned
by DOE, is the culmination of 18 months of study
by a panel chaired by John Hamre, the President
and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International
Studies. It reviewed the intersection of the Department
of Energy's security, counterintelligence and
science programs to see where improvements could
be made.
"For the last 18 months, we have worked to
improve and strengthen security throughout our
laboratory system," said Secretary Abraham.
"Soon after I arrived at the Department of
Energy I met with Dr. Hamre about the work of
the Commission and I urged him to reject the notion
that science and security are necessarily conflicting
goals. I believed then, and believe now, that
to achieve our mission we need to demonstrate
excellence in the performance of both science
and security."
Throughout the time the Commission was conducting
its review, it was advising the department of
its initial findings. The Department has begun
to implement 39 of the 45 Commission recommendations,
including recommendations involving integration
of safeguards and security management across the
Department, better coordination of science and
counterintelligence programs and activities, and
continued implementation of a new Departmental
integrated, multi-year budget process (Planning,
Programming, Budgeting and Evaluation System).
Other recommendations track with changes or reforms
already underway and a few recommendations will
be reviewed in greater detail in the coming weeks.
"I am pleased that the CSIS Report validates
the approach we were taking in many areas,"
Secretary Abraham added. "For example, the
reorganizations of the National Nuclear Security
Administration and the Office of Science to clarify
roles and responsibilities and eliminate conflicting
and duplicative layers of management directly
address a key recommendation made by this report."
Other changes already underway include implementation
of an integrated safeguards and security program
that ensures greater participation and cooperation
between security and program personnel. The Department
is also taking steps to improve cooperation between
counterintelligence officers and scientists on
Cooperative Research and Development Agreements
and by revising the Foreign Visits and Assignments
Policy and streamlining and simplifying policies
for sensitive unclassified information.
The Commission's findings and recommendations
focus on five areas:
• The need for clarification of lines of
responsibility and authority within the Department's
management structure;
• The need to improve the collaboration
between science and security to facilitate better
cooperation and consensus as to what constitutes
significant risk to national security;
• The need for a system-wide approach for
assessing risks to its assets and comprehensively
determining priorities for protection of those
assets;
• The need for new tools and techniques
that can facilitate the conduct of science while
at the same time strengthening security; and
• The need to strengthen cyber security.
The Department has also been active in the area
of new security tools and techniques and cyber
security. The department has invested significant
resources over the last 18 months in the latest
cyber security methods, and the solutions DOE
has developed are being used throughout the national
security community.
A copy of the report's executive summary is available
on the Internet at www.csis.org and a copy of
the full report is available by contacting CSIS
at 202/887-0200.
Accomplishments document (PDF)
Hamre Report (PDF)
Media Contact:
Number: PR-02-116
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