Pantex Blog
Pantex teams recognized by NNSA
Four Pantex teams were awarded the National Nuclear Security Administration NA-50 Award of Excellence for their exceptional accomplishments made in support of efforts to achieve NNSA’s mission. Members from Construction and Maintenance, Personnel Security/Access Control, Construction Management, and CNS Construction Field Engineering were recognized during a special ceremony in the Pantex John C. Drummond Center for their outstanding accomplishments involving innovation, effectiveness, teamwork, overcoming adversity and enabling future successes.
“Our people do extraordinary work every day ensuring the operability of the infrastructure at Pantex and Y-12 in support of the mission,” said Senior Director of Infrastructure Programs for CNS, Steve Laggis. “As I work with my staff on infrastructure issues we have a saying to guide our planning. That is, ‘we have to do the right things, to the right infrastructure, in the right way.’”
The team projects highlighted included a failing power transformer repaired at Pantex safely and within budget, the construction subcontractor access control process was streamlined and reduced paperwork from 31,290 pages to 2,235, Pantex and Y-12 construction work processes were consolidated setting the standard for future CNS Enterprise Manuals, and 1,024 sq. ft. of skylights were replaced for Sandia.
“The teams collaborated to do some really important things here. We very infrequently have the opportunity to give those kinds of awards out,” said Jim McConnell, NNSA Associate Administrator for Safety, Infrastructure and Operations. “I’m excited about that the work that is done here at Pantex can be recognized with these awards. I know that I will be back next year with another big stack of awards to give out for the things that are going on as we speak.”
POLO group sends boss ‘Over the Edge’
Pantex Outreach and Leadership Organization (POLO) participated in Over the Edge, a fundraising event for Amarillo Family Support Services. The group raised funds to “Toss the Boss” sending Joe Papp, senior director for Pantex Engineering, over the edge of Amarillo’s Santa Fe building. Consolidated Nuclear Security matched the POLO donations for a $1,000 total gift to FSS.
Pantex Safeguards & Security Team recognized by DOE
The Pantex Safeguards & Security team was recognized once again for their protective force posture realignment with a Department of Energy 2017 Outstanding Security Team Award. You’ll remember the team was recently recognized for the same project by the National Nuclear Security Administration. The new changes leverage the use of technologies and more efficiently secure areas of the Pantex site.
Pantex Special Response Team welcomes 13 new members
The Pantex Special Response Team recently welcomed 13 new members during the Tactical Response Force II class graduation. The TRF-200 graduates completed five weeks of rigorous tests and evaluations and an extra week of Basic Tactical Entry training.
Kristy McWilliams, Pantex senior director for Safeguards & Security, said, “These graduates represent the best of the best. They were challenged mentally and physically, and I commend them for their dedication and hard work.”
The graduates completed 17 testable objectives and were evaluated each day on safety, task performance, and marksmanship. They applied their battle and marksmanship skills in live fire exercises and force-on-force scenarios under day and night conditions. The group spent more than 100 of their 240 course hours in the on-site shoot house, where they trained in live fire close quarter battle.
Top security professionals recognized by NNSA
The Pantex Security Posture Change Working Group received the NNSA Security Team Award for 2017. The team received the award for their dedication and commitment to the Pantex Protective Force posture realignment, a major undertaking with numerous benefits. When combined with other security assets, the realignment provides an extremely robust security system by leveraging the use of new technologies to more effectively secure the site while increasing the survivability and lethality of the fighting force.
“This team demonstrated innovation,” said Lyle Cary, CNS vice president of Safeguards, Security & Emergency Services. “We put a challenge out to review the posture to see if we can leverage technologies, tactics, techniques, procedures, to become more efficient, and to not only preserve effectiveness, but improve our effectiveness as well. And this team went after that with gusto.”
“This was a huge undertaking by the entire Safeguards & Security staff,” said Kristy McWilliams, senior director of Pantex Safeguards & Security. “While the award recognizes 12 of the leaders of this effort, it truly was a team effort that required integration among all the security disciplines. I am proud of the teamwork, commitment, and dedication of everyone who had a hand in making this effort a success. Their hard work contributes each and every day to ensuring the safety and security of our nation’s valuable resources.”
