EVALUATION OF MC&A IN THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY'S COMPLEX BY THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

This paper describes the process which the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) employed when they were asked to evaluate MC&A practices and management in the Department of Energy's (DOE) nuclear weapons and fuel production complex. The study committee was formed which consisted of per- sons from various disciplines, serving on a volun- tary basis. It was composed of participants from industry, academe and government, approximately evenly divided and of specialists with nuclear and non-nuclear backgrounds. The committee pro- duced a report on its findings and has made a num- ber of recommendations to the DOE. This paper does not deal with the specific findings, recom- mendations, or conclusions of the committee. Rather, it is a case study of the unique and problematic evaluation process of the committee. Since this is the first NAS committee to interact with the DOE complex, it is also of interest to examine the experience in terms of the motives and expectations of the DOE, the method of per- formance by the committee, and the substantive issues raised for committee consideration in the course of a three-day workshop, attended by over 70 experts associated with this nation's nuclear defense programs.