The head of the National Nuclear Security Administration has ordered staff to intensify efforts to prevent classified information leaks, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
Brandon Williams issued the directive to leaders of the nation's nuclear weapons laboratories and the associated production plants, warning, "This is not a suggestion. It is an order."
"Our national security permits no alternative," Williams wrote in the memo, which the Times verified. The document carried the subject line: "URGENT: Upholding Our Oath."
The letter opens by warning that previous actions by personnel affiliated with the agency have "undermined national leadership's confidence in our ability to safeguard classified and sensitive unclassified information."
An official familiar with the nuclear weapons complex, who was not authorized to speak publicly, shared the email with the Times.
Williams' warning comes three weeks after President Donald Trump announced that the United States would resume nuclear weapons testing.
The U.S. has not conducted any above-ground nuclear tests since the 1960s. Its last underground detonation took place in 1992 at the Nevada Test Site, marking the final nuclear weapons test before the current moratorium.
During an interview with "60 Minutes" following his announcement, Trump was asked whether the U.S. intended to resume actual nuclear detonations. "We're going to test nuclear weapons like other countries do, yes," he replied.
"Russia's testing, and China's testing, but they don't talk about it. You know, we're an open society. We're different. We talk about it ... we're going to test, because they test and others test. And certainly North Korea's been testing. Pakistan's been testing," the president said.
The renewed focus on security follows a series of breaches at a major nuclear weapons plant in Kansas City, Missouri, one of the largest facilities in the U.S. nuclear complex, and larger than the Pentagon.
The plant was found to have leaked secret design and production information in three separate incidents. While no criminal charges were filed, the facility's management agreed to unspecified civil penalties and committed to improving training and workplace standards.
Williams was sworn in as NNSA administrator shortly after the settlement was finalized.
The memo was also sent to the director of Los Alamos National Laboratory, the birthplace of the atomic bomb, which has itself faced security lapses in recent years.
Williams emphasized that "any compromise of that information, regardless of its perceived sensitivity, represents a direct threat to our strategic interests, our personnel, and the American people we are sworn to protect."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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