Press Releases

Pantex, Y-12 honored for sustainable purchasing practices

Amarillo, Texas— Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC recently received 2020 Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Purchaser Awards for excellence in their procurement of sustainable information technology products at Y-12 National Security and the Pantex Plant. In a virtual ceremony, the sites were recognized by the Green Electronics Council for purchasing EPEAT electronics such as computers, printers, phones, televisions, copiers, scanners and servers.

“Receiving EPEAT awards for both Y-12 and Pantex validates our sustainable acquisition practices,” said Sherith Hudson, CNS Sustainable Acquisition Program Coordinator. “By considering how we operate in the ecological, social and economic environment, we are creating long-term value for taxpayers, and because we operate federal facilities, our sustainable IT purchases encourage the adoption of similar practices by other federal and commercial entities, which helps mature the market for sustainable products.”

Pantex and Y-12 were among 74 organizations from around the world who were celebrated for their decision to purchase sustainable electronic products. The organizations included cities, states, federal agencies, healthcare systems, universities, K-12 school systems and companies. The organizations recognized required EPEAT in their procurement policies and contracts and reported EPEAT purchasing volume through their award application.

“EPEAT Purchaser Award winners are champions in the practice of sustainable procurement,” said Nancy Gillis, CEO of the Green Electronics Council. “Their leadership creates sustainability gains not only for their own organizations but for all purchasers of electronics globally by creating demand for sustainable products.”

Hudson agreed, explaining that CNS considers both the local and global impact of its strategies. “The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global supply chain emphasizes the importance of buying sustainable IT products,” Hudson said. “When supply chains are restricted, it’s easy to imagine a future where non-renewable resources are not available. Whether facing this pandemic or other local or global challenges, our investment in energy-efficient products, such as EPEAT-registered equipment, will save energy and improve all of our resiliency.”

A video of CNS Pantex and Y-12 representatives at the virtual awards ceremony is available at on the CNS website or view the entire ceremony on the Green Electronics Council’s website.

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. CNS member companies include Bechtel National, Inc.; Leidos, Inc.; ATK Launch Systems, Inc.; and SOC LLC. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects and delivery as promised.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Steve Myers
Communications
Office (806) 573.0490
Stephen.Myers@pantex.doe.gov

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) is demonstrating a continued commitment to business partnership, even in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of ongoing outreach to business owners and potential vendors, CNS representatives will host a virtual Partners in Excellence (PIE) forum on August 26. During the online PIE event, leaders will offer attendees a slice of knowledge about successfully doing business with Pantex and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee. The event is free and open to all, but registration is recommended.

Click for a larger version.

CNS began the PIE event series in April 2018 because the government contract solicitation process can be a bit overwhelming for businesses, particularly newcomers. Each year, CNS awards over $1 billon in subcontracts to businesses that help accomplish specialized tasks in support of its vital national security mission.

What: Virtual Partners in Excellence Forum
Who: CNS procurement leaders, business owners
When: August 26, 2020, 1-3 p.m./2-4 p.m. EDT
Where: Online via WebEx. Click the link and then click “Register”.
Why: To share site information, requirements, and upcoming opportunities with potential subcontractors and vendors.

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. CNS member companies include Bechtel National, Inc.; Leidos, Inc.; ATK Launch Systems, Inc.; and SOC LLC. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects and delivery as promised.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Allison Roberts
Communications
Office 806.573.0501
allison.roberts@pantex.doe.gov

Michelle Reichert becomes CEO as Morgan Smith retires; Bill Tindal becomes COO

Amarillo, Texas, and Oak Ridge, Tenn. — Michelle Reichert becomes president and chief executive officer of Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC, effective Friday, August 14, 2020. Reichert, the current chief operating officer (COO) for CNS, replaces Morgan Smith, who is retiring after six years at CNS and a career that spans more than 42 years of service to national security.

Reichert will assume responsibility for both of the National Nuclear Security Administration production plants under CNS's contract: the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

In addition, current Y-12 site manager Bill Tindal becomes COO, effective on the same date.

Smith served as CNS's president and CEO since February of 2016 and has been with CNS since the company assumed management of Pantex and Y-12 in July 2014, initially serving as the company’s chief operating officer. Prior to that, he was general manager of both the Bettis and Knolls Atomic Power laboratories within the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.

“I have long admired Morgan’s work ethic and his devotion to our Nation and our national security mission,” says Barb Rusinko, president of Bechtel Nuclear, Security, and Environmental and chair of the CNS Board of Managers. “Morgan’s focus on creating an organization where people are connected to their leaders as well as their mission has helped CNS colleagues deliver critical work for our customers.”

During Smith’s tenure, the sites delivered their national security mission at levels not reached since the Cold War, while achieving infrastructure and culture improvements that position both sites for enduring operations. Smith also served as co-chair of the NNSA Operations and Efficiencies Board and vice chair elect of the Energy Facility Contractors Group (EFCOG).

“It has been a privilege and an honor to work alongside the patriots that comprise the federal and contractor workforces in support of this vital national security mission,” Smith says. “After working closely with Michelle over the past six years — including the last four with her in the deputy role — I have the utmost confidence in her ability to lead Pantex and Y-12 into the future. Her technical expertise, experience at both sites, and care for people position her and the sites for future success.”

Reichert brings more than 30 years of experience to her new role. She began her career at Y-12 in 1988 and spent 22 years in Oak Ridge. She then held multiple leadership roles at Pantex, and for the last four years she has been CNS's deputy enterprise manager and chief operating officer. As COO, Reichert has overseen integration activities across the two sites, with a focus on internal operations and continuously improving safe, secure, zero defect delivery of the national security mission. Her technical expertise covers a wide range of high-hazard operations in support of nuclear security, including production operations, environmental management, safety and health, emergency management, and processing of enriched uranium.

Tindal came to Y-12 in 1995 and rose from shift technical advisor in Building 9206 to head up production, becoming Y-12’s site manager in 2014. He brings nearly 30 years of experience in highly hazardous nuclear facility operations to his role as COO. As Y-12 site manager, Tindal has managed the daily integration of nearly 5,000 employees across the site to ensure production deliverables meet requirements for safety, security, quality, schedule, and cost. Tindal has been instrumental in managing long-term efforts to transform Y-12’s essential national assets and capabilities.

“It is the privilege of my career to assume this leadership position, and I look forward to our journey together,” Reichert said. “The nation depends on the patriots of Pantex and Y-12 to deliver. There is much work to be done, and we will continue to focus on delivering our mission and building an enduring future for our sites.”

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. CNS member companies include Bechtel National, Inc.; Leidos, Inc.; ATK Launch Systems, Inc.; and SOC LLC. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects and delivery as promised.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Jason Bohne
Communications
Office (865) 241.1400
Jason.Bohne@cns.doe.gov

Pantex Plant’s Emergency Management Department will conduct an emergency exercise on August 13. During this exercise, people in the vicinity of Pantex may observe emergency personnel simulating response activities as part of the exercise.

Emergency exercises test the ability of emergency personnel to respond quickly and effectively to emergency situations, and ensure the public, Pantex employees and the environment would be protected in the event of an actual emergency.

Again, you may observe response personnel simulating response activities as part of the exercise, If you observe suspicious activity before August 9 or after August 10, please report your observations to 477-5000.

Successful transition to modern infrastructure

AMARILLO, Texas – For more than five decades, the Pantex Plant has manufactured high explosive charges for weapons in the Nation’s nuclear stockpile. Last month, those operations were successfully transferred from its outdated WW II-era facility to the modern High Explosives Pressing Facility (HEPF).

The HEPF has introduced a more efficient process, improved safety, and reduced transportation costs. The 45,000-square-foot facility consolidates packaging, staging, pressing, inspection, machining, and density operations, which decreases risks and costs associated with transporting a main-charge high explosive from one building to the next. It is estimated that the HEPF will save more than $92 million over the life of the facility.

The HEPF was authorized for high hazard operations on January 8, 2019, and released to produce weapon-grade explosive charges in March of 2019. Throughout the first year of authorization, a graded approach of operations was performed until steady-state production rates were achieved. Based on those achievements, more than 100 parts have been pressed in the new facility.

“The startup and authorization of this new facility was a significant effort on the part of multiple organizations at Pantex,” according to Robert McClary, Director of High Explosives Manufacturing. ”Now that steady-state production has been achieved in the new facility, Explosives Technology is poised to meet the demands of the nuclear weapons complex for the next 50 years.”

The explosive hemispheres for all future rebuilds, life extension programs, and Joint Test Assemblies will be pressed, machined, and X-rayed in the HEPF.

The legacy facility that HEPF replaced was placed into a safe and stable configuration in March of 2020, and is slated for demolition in the coming years.

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on the absolute priorities of safety, security, quality, mission delivery and cost efficiency.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Steve Myers
Communications
Office (806) 573.0490
Stephen.Myers@pantex.doe.gov

More than $850,000 invested in local nonprofits across Texas Panhandle

AMARILLO, Texas- Nonprofits in the Texas Panhandle will be better able to expand or continue their missions thanks to grants from Consolidated Nuclear Security’s (CNS) Pantex Community Investment Fund, administered by the Amarillo Area Foundation.

CNS, which manages the Pantex for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, created an advisory committee to determine distribution of the funds. The committee prioritized the submissions from organizations located and operating in the 12 contiguous counties surrounding Pantex, which includes Armstrong, Carson, Deaf Smith, Donley, Gray, Hall, Hutchinson, Moore, Oldham, Potter, Randall and Swisher.

Including the latest round of grants, CNS has donated more than $860,000 to area non-profit organizations since 2016 through the Amarillo Area Foundation.

“Our goal by working with the Amarillo Area Foundation, is to give our employees a voice in determining where corporate dollars are invested in the community where they work, live, and volunteer,” said Jason Bohne, CNS Communications and Public Affairs director. “As a company, we’re extremely pleased to partner with community organizations for the betterment of Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle - where our employees work, live, and give.”

The advisory committee selected grantee organizations based on the following funding preferences and priorities: Basic Needs, Child and Family Development, Education, Community Development, Financial Literacy, and Health and Wellness.

Recipients and their grants are as follows:

A World for Children - $5,000: To support Bridging the Gap program used to help normalize and improve the quality of life for abused, neglected and traumatized children in our care in the Amarillo area.

Amarillo Area Court Appointed Special Advocate (AACASA) - $7,500: For recruitment, training, and retaining CASA Volunteers who advocate for children of abuse and neglect through the efforts of trained volunteers, appointed by the court to ensure them a safe, nurturing and permanent environment.

Amarillo Children’s Home - $10,000: To support “Feed the Tummy Fill the Soul” program which addresses a basic human need-hunger-while teaching valuable life skills often foreign to foster children.

Another Chance House - $7,500: To provide program support for men who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Faith City Mission - $6,000: To provide for basic needs for homeless and impoverished individuals in Potter and Randall Counties and throughout the Texas Panhandle.

Family Care Foundation - $6,000: To support dental assistance for uninsured children and adults.

Heal the City Free Clinic - $6,000: To provide equipment that addresses language barriers for chronic care program, Shalom, which serves uninsured and chronically ill patients that are Spanish speaking only.

Hope Lives Here - $6,000: To support the Harley’s Legacy program for support dogs and vets.

Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas - $7,500: To support wish granting in the Texas Panhandle.

Martha’s Home - $10,000: To support residents’ needs for homeless single women and homeless mothers with their children.

Ronald McDonald House Charities - $10,000: To support Share a Night, which helps families of ill children who live outside the Amarillo City limits and need a home away from home while their sick child receives medical care in Amarillo.

Sharing Hope Ministry - $10,000: To support Patsy’s Place Transitional Home which provides shelter, basic necessities, education, family reunification and health related services to post-offending, local women. Assistance will also be given to post-offenders who are struggling through the COVID crisis.

Texas Ramp Project - $5,000: To support Amarillo Ramp Project for low-income older adults and people with disabilities in the Panhandle.

The Downtown Women’s Center - $7,500: To provide program support for shelter operations, counseling, and wrap-around client services for women in recovery from substance addictions and their children.

Turn Center - $10,000: To support the purchase of therapy equipment for children.

Upbring - $7,500: To Support the Amarillo Foster in Texas program which serves children removed from their homes by Child Protective Services due to abuse or neglect.

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. CNS member companies include Bechtel National, Inc.; Leidos, Inc.; ATK Launch Systems, Inc.; and SOC LLC. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects and delivery as promised.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Steve Myers
Communications
Office (806) 573.0490
Stephen.Myers@pantex.doe.gov

Amarillo Area Foundation, United Way relief funds among recipients

AMARILLO- As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact the region, Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) and Pantex employees are reinvesting in their communities in a number of ways. CNS manages and operates the Pantex Plant for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

CNS recently donated $10,000 to the United Way of Amarillo & Canyon Emergency Relief Fund, and another $10,000 to Amarillo Area Foundation (AAF) Disaster Relief Fund. These contributions are in addition to earlier donations of $2,500 to the High Plains Food Bank and $2,500 to United Way of Amarillo & Canyon Emergency Relief Fund. Additionally, Pantex participated in the United Way of Amarillo & Canyon’s first-ever Virtual Telethon, which raised more than $80,000 for the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund.

“As a company, we are happy to partner with community organizations for the betterment of Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle—where our employees work, live, and give,” said Jason Bohne, CNS Senior Director of Communications. “During this stressful and difficult time, we feel it is even more important to take an active part in our communities and the welfare of residents across the area.”

CNS and Pantex employees are also continuing a five-year tradition of providing grants to nonprofit organizations in the Texas Panhandle through the CNS Pantex Community Investment Fund, in coordination with the Amarillo Area Foundation. An advisory committee of Pantex employees are determining distribution donations totaling $121,500. The committee prioritized the submissions from organizations located and operating in the 12 contiguous counties surrounding Pantex to fund basic needs, child and family development, education, community development, financial literacy, and health and wellness. To date, including the latest round of grants, CNS has donated more than $860,000 to area non-profit organizations since 2016 through the Amarillo Area Foundation. For this year’s grants, all applications have been received and funds are scheduled for distribution in June.

CNS also contributed $10,000 to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Texas Panhandle’s “Bowl for Kids’ Sake” fundraiser after this year’s event was cancelled.

Earlier this spring, Pantex sponsored and hosted the Department of Energy’s Regional Science Bowls for middle and high school students.

CNS also manages the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and is supporting ongoing efforts to combat the COVID-19 outbreak in East Tennessee.

“Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC operates the Pantex Plant and Y-12 National Security Complex in support of the National Nuclear Security Administration. CNS member companies include Bechtel National, Inc.; Leidos; ATK Launch Systems; and SOC LLC, with Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. as a teaming subcontractor.”

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on the absolute priorities of safety, security, quality, mission delivery and cost efficiency.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Steve Myers
Communications
Office (806) 573.0490
Stephen.Myers@pantex.doe.gov

AMARILLO, Texas-- Pantex, operated by Consolidated Nuclear Security, has announced the successful assembly of the W88 Alt 370 First Production Capability Unit (FPCU).

W88 nuclear warhead, designed by the Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories, entered the stockpile in late 1988 and is deployed on the Navy’s Trident II D5 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) system on Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines. The W88 Alteration (Alt) 370 program includes numerous updates to address aging, enhance nuclear safety, and support future life extension program options.

The FPCU, an important milestone, allows Pantex staff to exercise processes to ensure readiness for rate production. This achievement was accomplished ahead of schedule through outstanding teamwork from Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, Kansas City Nuclear Security Campus, and Consolidated Nuclear Security.

“Reaching this milestone required tremendous effort from Pantex employees at all levels, collaboration from thousands of workers at NSE sites across the country, and a close working relationship with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA),” Pantex site manager Todd Ailes remarked. “The success of this program has required high standards of safety, security, and quality from all involved. I commend everyone involved for their contributions.”

The W88 Alt 370 team will incorporate these results and will exercise this process again prior to the start of the First Production Unit. NNSA is prepared to ramp up productions operations in support of the warhead program.

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on the absolute priorities of safety, security, quality, mission delivery and cost efficiency.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Steve Myers
Communications
Office (806) 573.0490
Stephen.Myers@pantex.doe.gov

AMARILLO, Texas – Pantex works closely with area partners to prepare the public for the unlikely incident of an emergency at Pantex. Part of that preparation involves educating and communicating with residents living within 10 miles of Pantex – in what are called the Pantex 10-mile Emergency Planning Zones (EPZ).

A newly designed Pantex 10-mile EPZ went into effect January 1. The EPZ has changed from a pie grid shaped map to a zone system that is aligned with county roads and county borders.

“We have revised our emergency planning zone map to make it easier for people who might need to use it and take protective actions, or people who might need to make protective action decisions to identify where that needs to happen,” Chuck Rives, Pantex Emergency Management Senior Specialist said.

The earlier EPZ map was designed in pie-shaped wedges that didn’t align to anything that could be seen on the ground.

“While the old map was functional in a lot of ways, it made it really difficult in emergency management to do road closures, to have first responders know exactly where to go, and also for the residents to know what part of the pie they were in,” Carson County Judge Dan Looten said.

The updated EPZ is broken down into sectors – C, P and A sectors – which stand for Carson County, Potter County, or Armstrong County.

“If you're in C5 you'll know exactly you're in Carson County Zone 5, where beforehand you didn't know exactly the way the pies spread out in a pie shape - it would cross quite a few county lines and cross quite a few county roads,” Judge Looten said.

This updated map is easier for those living within the zones to understand which zone they reside in, and the new EPZ is more concrete by using existing roadways and county lines to separate the zones.

“The biggest benefit of this change is the understandability of the map. Someone can look at where they are on the ground compared to the map and say ‘I'm north or south of this road or east or west of that road’ and that corresponds to one of the sectors of the map,” Rives said. “If we tell Carson 3 to take a protective action, you can look at the map and see it's bounded by these roads and you know you're in or out of there.”

Residents living within the 10-mile EPZ will be receiving a new calendar from the Texas Division of Emergency Management with the new EPZ map included along with other information for residents to
use in case of an emergency at Pantex. The calendars include contact information for all of the Agreement In Principal (AIP) Emergency Management offices, what Shelter in Place means, how to pack a go bag, emergency classification levels, and more.

“I hope the public, especially those in this area, will really educate themselves, will try to use this new calendar and use this new map to educate themselves where they're at and things to look for in case there is any kind of emergency in the area,” Looten said.

A group of stakeholders called the (AIP) with representatives from state agencies, regional partners, bordering counties and Pantex have worked over the last several months to design the EPZ.

“This map came about not because we think there was a problem – we’re just improving what we already have. I think, especially from county judges’ point of view and from emergency responders, this gets us all on the same page,” Looten said. “We all know exactly how the new map reads. We'll all be able to know exactly what road closures we’re going to set up. Because, in the first few minutes to a first few hours of an emergency, that's a very critical time. We don't need to be second-guessing so we want to be for sure everybody's on the same page.”

Members of this group will be working to update the public on the new zone through town hall meetings and other initiatives in the coming weeks.

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on the absolute priorities of safety, security, quality, mission delivery and cost efficiency.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Ashlee Estlack
Communications
Office (806) 573.0503
Ashlee.Estlack@pantex.doe.gov

AMARILLO, Texas – Thirteen Consolidated Nuclear Security project teams representing more than 570 employees were recognized recently by the National Nuclear Security Administration for their work supporting the national security missions of the Pantex Plant and Y-12 National Security Complex.

In presentations at Pantex and Y-12, the teams were each recognized with a 2018 NNSA Defense Programs Award of Excellence. The awards were established in 1982 to recognize individual and team accomplishments from across the nuclear weapons complex in support of NNSA’s nuclear weapons program.

Four of the teams were based at Pantex, and nine were based at Y-12.

“It’s really important that we get out, and we see the work this complex can do. Here at Pantex, it’s nothing short of amazing,” NNSA Acting Assistant Deputy Administrator for Stockpile Management John Evans told employees at Pantex. “That plaque on the wall that all roads come to Pantex, that’s true. The important thing though is the capabilities that are embodied in you all allow for the weapons to go out of Pantex. Without your expertise and dedication and devotion to your jobs, those weapons don’t go out of Pantex. They don’t come back for repairs, and they don’t leave in a way that they can be part of the deterrent.”

NNSA Assistant Deputy Administrator for Stockpile Management Dr. Mark Suriano congratulated Y-12 employees in a similar ceremony at Y-12.

“Dr. [Charles] Verdon and the Defense Programs leadership understand the value and impact from all of the personnel at Y-12 as you execute our national security mission. We know the teams we recognize today are representative of the quality, productivity, innovation, and commitment to excellence. Going through the accomplishments of your award winners is awe inspiring. The innovation and forward thinking has helped the Nuclear Security Enterprise to be better postured for the current modernization of our entire stockpile.”

The projects recognized are listed below:

Pantex

• B61-12 Pit Requalification First Production Unit
• CoLOSSIS II Startup
• Joint NA-10/NA-22 Warhead Measurement Campaign: B61, B83, W76 Measurements
• Quality Evaluation Requirements Tracking System Record of Assembly Verification

Y-12

• Enriched Uranium Strategic Material Model Deployment
• Environmental Room Control Upgrades
• Modulated Tool Path Development & Integration
• Down-Blend Offering for Tritium Program Development
• B61-12 CSA FPU Early Delivery
• 50 + 10 Study
• B83 Dismantlement Equipment Maintenance and Schedule Recovery
• Deployment of Production Capabilities
• Lithium Chemical Specification Change

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on the absolute priorities of safety, security, quality, mission delivery and cost efficiency.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Ashlee Estlack
Communications
Office (806) 573.0503
Ashlee.Estlack@pantex.doe.gov