Nuclear Operations Resume At Y‑12 National Security Complex

(Newsroom America) -- Nuclear operations have resumed at the Y‑12 National Security Complex in Tennessee which houses nuclear weapons materials, following a security breach by three antiwar activists two weeks ago.

The plant’s management contractor, B&W Y-12, ordered a temporary security stand down on Aug. 1 following an unprecedented security breach on July 28.

Early that morning three anti-nuclear weapons activists, who reportedly included an 82-year-old nun, allegedly cut through three fences with bolt cutters and entered a high-security area.

They reportedly splashed human blood and spray-painting slogans on the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility, where bomb-grade uranium is stored. Y‑12 is a key facility in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise and is responsible for uranium storage, processing and manufacturing operations.

B&W Y‑12 ordered a temporary security stand down on August 1 as a result of an internal review of Y‑12 security operations, which followed the July 28 security incident. During the security stand down, all special nuclear materials at Y‑12 were moved to vault-type facilities onsite.

"B&W Y‑12, which operates Y‑12 for NNSA, will commence nuclear operations under additional and enhanced federal oversight of contractor operations. The authorization to resume operations was made possible through the completion of numerous improvements in security at Y‑12 and completion of security training," said NNSA in a statement.

Since August 1, all personnel onsite at Y‑12 have undergone additional security training to ensure compliance with all site rules. Additional tactical and security related training has continued for members of the Y‑12 Proforce during this period.

"The WSI-OR contract is now a subcontract under B&W Y‑12. This action was taken to strengthen the chain of command, to reduce layers of management, and to improve the span of control between contractor management and members of the Y‑12 Proforce."

Additional reviews of security operations are either underway or scheduled to begin this month, said NNSA.

(C) Newsroom America 2012