Report delivered to regents on security lapses at DOE laboratories

By Benjamin Parke

Daily Bruin Contributor

SAN FRANCISCO “”mdash; Los Alamos National Laboratory Director
John Browne reported Wednesday to the UC Board of Regents on recent
security lapses that have brought the university’s management
of the lab under criticism.

The report was given to the regents’ Committee on
Oversight of the Department of Energy Laboratories on the first day
of the regents’ bi-monthly meeting at UC San Francisco.

UC’s management of the labs’ security came under
fire earlier this year, when two hard drives containing nuclear
weapons disarmament information were reported missing.

Though the hard drives were eventually discovered behind a copy
machine, the mix-up added to an already existing controversy
surrounding the lab since nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee was arrested
for mishandling nuclear information.

In addition to Los Alamos, the university also manages Lawrence
Livermore and Lawrence Berkeley National laboratories, as part of a
contract with the DOE that stems from before the development of the
first nuclear bomb.

Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante questioned Browne on the recent
security lapses.

He wanted to know whether espionage was involved in the
disappearance of the hard drives.

Browne responded by saying he didn’t think that was the
case, though he couldn’t prove it one way or another.

“It does appear to be human error. Whether it’s
unintentional or deliberate, I can’t tell you,” he
said.

DOE security audits gave a less-than-satisfactory rating to the
lab during four out of the past 10 years, Browne said.

But he pointed out that the audits considered five different
categories of security ““ such as control of information and
control of nuclear material ““ and that a low rating for one
area in any particular year didn’t necessarily reflect on
other areas.

In major audits in August and September, the lab received the
highest security rating possible.

Part of the security problem, according to Browne, was that
since the DOE sets security requirements, it is difficult to take
additional measures since the lab is dealing with a set amount of
funds allocated by the department.

“You’re in a Catch-22 situation,” Browne said.
“Yes, you can go beyond the requirements, but where do you
get the resources?”

Regent David Lee, who expressed concern for the fate of
physicist Wen Ho Lee, asked if Asian Americans were being unfairly
targeted for investigation.

“Do we treat all American citizens the same?” asked
Lee, who said Asian Americans would be reluctant to apply for jobs
at the lab unless the University made publicity efforts to counter
that perception.

Browne acknowledged that the incident affected Asian Americans
working at the lab, leading to a drop in applicants for
post-doctorate work.

“There have been some losses but not major outflows of
people,” said Browne. “There have been a few
individuals who have chosen to leave or chosen to
retire.”

Student Regent Justin Fong said he had reviewed a number of
concerns from employees of Asian and Pacific Islander descent.

Regent Ward Connerly said “there has been a lot of
politicization of this issue.”

“The media, Congress, and everyone else have made it a
larger issue than it would be after the 2000 election,” said
Connerly. “There is a political reality here.”

Browne said he believed the main threat facing the lab is in the
realm of cyber-security, in which computer hackers might be able to
access sensitive lab data.

He mentioned that a $120 million plan to counteract such
security breaches had not yet been funded.

The Lt. governor said the labs’ security was of the utmost
importance.

“We have a moral responsibility to ensure that we are on
the cutting edge, that we are always out there, ahead of the
competition,” Bustamante said.

On August 2, C. Judson King, UC provost and senior vice
president of academic affairs, is scheduled to meet with Gen. John
Gordon and T.J. Glauthier, deputy secretary of the DOE to discuss
the future of the Los Alamos lab.

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The regents also heard a report from C. Bruce Tarter, director
of the Lawrence laboratory who said construction of the National
Ignition Facility, a project to maintain the nation’s nuclear
stockpile, is 91 percent complete.

IBM’s ASCI White, the world’s fastest supercomputer,
was also recently delivered to the Livermore lab. The computer will
improve the lab’s ability to simulate nuclear explosions.

Other matters before the board included a report from Carol
Tomlinson-Keasey on environmental issues surrounding the
construction of UC Merced, which is to be the system’s 10th
campus. She said the school plans on preserving 60,000 acres of
wetlands surrounding the campus.

She added that two courses were already being taught over the
summer. The campus is scheduled to be completed by 2004, she
said.

With reports from Daily Bruin wire services.