Los Alamos National Security
Encyclopedia
Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS LLC) is a private limited liability company
(LLC) formed by the University of California
, Bechtel
, Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services
, and URS Energy and Construction
. It currently operates Los Alamos National Laboratory
(LANL) for the Department of Energy
and the National Nuclear Security Administration
. It took over direct management and operation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory from the University of California on June 1, 2006.
An agreement between the four LANS members established a Board of Governors that is charged with oversight and governance of LANS, LLC. The Board includes three individuals appointed by the University of California
and three individuals appointed by Bechtel
, as well as four independent Governors who are selected for their expertise and experience in fields pertinent to LANL operations. The Board includes an Executive Committee that consists of the six University of California and Bechtel appointees.
The President of LANS LLC, Charles F. McMillan
, reports directly and solely to the LANS LLC Board of Governors. McMillan also serves as laboratory director.
LANS was formed during a period of doubt about whether the University of California would be awarded the management contract, after it was forced to compete for the contract for the first time since it had first began to manage LANL during the Manhattan Project
as a result of numerous scandals and dissatisfaction with its management. LANS eventually was pitted against the University of Texas System
partnered with Lockheed Martin
, and was awarded the LANL contract in December 2005.
In addition to being reimbursed for the cost of operating LANL ($2.2 billion annually), LANS receives a yearly fee for managing LANL of approximately $79 million from the Department of Energy.
In September 2007, director Michael R. Anastasio announced a possible layoff of 2500 people based on predicted budget shortfalls of $350M for FY08. The operating fee of approximately $79M and the state of New Mexico gross receipts tax (LANL was formerly operated by UC as a non-profit) contributed approximately half of the expected budget shortfall.
A series of blog
s have been monitoring and discussing the management of LANL since then-director Pete Nanos shut the laboratory down in response to several alleged safety and security incidents.
, one of the LANS partners, is also a partner in the operations of several other National Nuclear Security Administration
facilities which collectively comprise the core of the United States' nuclear weapons design and production capability:
Another LANS partner, BWX Technologies
, also participates in the partnerships that manage Lawrence Livermore, Pantex, and Y-12.
Limited liability company
A limited liability company is a flexible form of enterprise that blends elements of partnership and corporate structures. It is a legal form of company that provides limited liability to its owners in the vast majority of United States jurisdictions...
(LLC) formed by the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, Bechtel
Bechtel
Bechtel Corporation is the largest engineering company in the United States, ranking as the 5th-largest privately owned company in the U.S...
, Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services
BWX Technologies
Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Group, Inc., formerly known as BWX Technologies, Inc. , is the group that operates the Y-12 National Security Complex, and a member of the Los Alamos National Security, LLC. The group also holds the contract to manage the Pantex plant in Texas, alongside...
, and URS Energy and Construction
Washington Group International
Washington Group International was an American corporation which provided integrated engineering, construction and management services to businesses and governments around the world. Based in Boise, Idaho, it had approximately 25,000 employees working in over 40 states and more than 30 countries...
. It currently operates Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
(LANL) for the Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
and the National Nuclear Security Administration
National Nuclear Security Administration
The United States National Nuclear Security Administration is part of the United States Department of Energy. It works to improve national security through the military application of nuclear energy...
. It took over direct management and operation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory from the University of California on June 1, 2006.
An agreement between the four LANS members established a Board of Governors that is charged with oversight and governance of LANS, LLC. The Board includes three individuals appointed by the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
and three individuals appointed by Bechtel
Bechtel
Bechtel Corporation is the largest engineering company in the United States, ranking as the 5th-largest privately owned company in the U.S...
, as well as four independent Governors who are selected for their expertise and experience in fields pertinent to LANL operations. The Board includes an Executive Committee that consists of the six University of California and Bechtel appointees.
The President of LANS LLC, Charles F. McMillan
Charles F. McMillan
Charles McMillan is the 10th director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.Prior to joining Los Alamos, McMillan, an experimental physicist, spent more than 20 years at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. He holds a doctorate in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of...
, reports directly and solely to the LANS LLC Board of Governors. McMillan also serves as laboratory director.
LANS was formed during a period of doubt about whether the University of California would be awarded the management contract, after it was forced to compete for the contract for the first time since it had first began to manage LANL during the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
as a result of numerous scandals and dissatisfaction with its management. LANS eventually was pitted against the University of Texas System
University of Texas System
The University of Texas System encompasses 15 educational institutions in Texas, of which nine are academic universities and six are health institutions. The system is headquartered in Austin and has a total enrollment of over 190,000 students...
partnered with Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
, and was awarded the LANL contract in December 2005.
In addition to being reimbursed for the cost of operating LANL ($2.2 billion annually), LANS receives a yearly fee for managing LANL of approximately $79 million from the Department of Energy.
In September 2007, director Michael R. Anastasio announced a possible layoff of 2500 people based on predicted budget shortfalls of $350M for FY08. The operating fee of approximately $79M and the state of New Mexico gross receipts tax (LANL was formerly operated by UC as a non-profit) contributed approximately half of the expected budget shortfall.
A series of blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s have been monitoring and discussing the management of LANL since then-director Pete Nanos shut the laboratory down in response to several alleged safety and security incidents.
LANS Board of Governors
- Norman J. PattizNorman J. PattizNorman J. Pattiz is an American broadcasting executive. He is a founder and former chairman of radio industry giant Westwood One.He is also a member of the University of California Board of Regents and used to sit on the board of the Broadcasting Board of Governors...
(LANS Chairman), chairman of Westwood OneWestwood OneWestwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
. - Craig M. Albert, president of Bechtel Systems & Infrastructure, Inc.
- S. Robert Cochran, president of B & W Technical Services, Inc.
- Bruce B. Darling, Executive Vice President, University of CaliforniaUniversity of CaliforniaThe University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
Office of the President. - William R. Frazer, emeritus professor, University of California.
- Craig Weaver, executive vice president of Bechtel Systems and Infrastructure, Inc.
- Dr. Sidney DrellSidney DrellSidney David Drell is an American theoretical physicist and arms control expert. He is a professor emeritus at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. Drell is a noted contributor in the field of quantum electrodynamics and particle...
, professor emeritus and deputy director at the Stanford Linear Accelerator CenterStanford Linear Accelerator CenterThe SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, originally named Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, is a United States Department of Energy National Laboratory operated by Stanford University under the programmatic direction of the U.S...
, and senior fellow at the Hoover InstitutionHoover InstitutionThe Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace is a public policy think tank and library founded in 1919 by then future U.S. president, Herbert Hoover, an early alumnus of Stanford....
. - Richard Mies, retired commander of U.S. Strategic Command.
- Nick MooreNick MooreNicholas A. Moore is a professional Canadian football wide receiver for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Toledo.Moore has also been a member of the New England Patriots, St. Louis...
, retired global chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopersPricewaterhouseCoopersPricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
. - Nick Salazar, member of the New Mexico House of RepresentativesNew Mexico House of RepresentativesThe New Mexico House of Representatives is the lower house of the New Mexico State Legislature.There are 70 members of the House. Each member represents roughly 25,980 residents of New Mexico.The Speaker of the House is Ben Luján .-Composition:...
.
Related partnerships
BechtelBechtel
Bechtel Corporation is the largest engineering company in the United States, ranking as the 5th-largest privately owned company in the U.S...
, one of the LANS partners, is also a partner in the operations of several other National Nuclear Security Administration
National Nuclear Security Administration
The United States National Nuclear Security Administration is part of the United States Department of Energy. It works to improve national security through the military application of nuclear energy...
facilities which collectively comprise the core of the United States' nuclear weapons design and production capability:
- Savannah River SiteSavannah River SiteThe Savannah River Site is a nuclear reservation in the United States in the state of South Carolina, located on land in Aiken, Allendale and Barnwell Counties adjacent to the Savannah River, southeast of Augusta, Georgia. The site was built during the 1950s to refine nuclear materials for...
- Lawrence Livermore National LaboratoryLawrence Livermore National LaboratoryThe Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , just outside Livermore, California, is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center founded by the University of California in 1952...
- PantexPantexThe Pantex plant is America's only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility and is charged with maintaining the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. The facility is located on a 16,000 acre site 17 miles northeast of Amarillo, in Carson County,...
- Hanford SiteHanford SiteThe Hanford Site is a mostly decommissioned nuclear production complex on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, operated by the United States federal government. The site has been known by many names, including Hanford Works, Hanford Engineer Works or HEW, Hanford Nuclear Reservation...
- Y-12 National Security ComplexY-12 National Security ComplexThe Y-12 National Security Complex is a United States Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration facility located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near the Oak Ridge National Laboratory...
Another LANS partner, BWX Technologies
BWX Technologies
Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Group, Inc., formerly known as BWX Technologies, Inc. , is the group that operates the Y-12 National Security Complex, and a member of the Los Alamos National Security, LLC. The group also holds the contract to manage the Pantex plant in Texas, alongside...
, also participates in the partnerships that manage Lawrence Livermore, Pantex, and Y-12.