MANAGEMENT. INTEGRATION AND COORDINATION OF SAFEGUARDS AND SECURITY IN DOE FIELD OPERATIONS

Safeguards and security initiatives and issues within the DOE program are managed, integrated and coordinated by interactions between OSS and the DOE field offices and their cognizant facilities. OSS is improving this interaction process. Since consolidating safeguards and security in one office, the OSS office structure has included separate organizational divisions for safeguards and security. Attainment of a well-integrated program has suffered as a result of this divided structure. The separation hindered efforts to strengthen material control systems, arrive at binding agreements between OSS and field offices on plans for improving nuclearmaterials protection, introduce specific performance requirements for evaluating and optimizing levels of overall protection for nuclear materials, and integrate safeguards and security from the top down. OS S now is beginning to interact with field offices and their cognizant facilities through an integrated organizational unit designated as the primary focal point for such interactions. It is being staffed throughout with competence in both safeguards and security. Its responsibilities include: OSS oversight of safeguards and security performance, working with the field on line-item construction projects, completion of binding agreements with field offices on performance capabilities to be maintained, policy-level reports on the quality of safeguards and security throughout DOE, and the management of data bases on performance in the field, and management of computer and operational security reviews, of development and testing for improved equipment and systems, and other related functional responsibilities.