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Weapons Complex Monitor
December 5, 2011
LANL Director Forms Panel To Oversee Spending Cuts
With his lab facing a potential budget shortfall of $200 million, Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Charlie McMillan has established a senior executive panel to oversee the lab’s belt tightening. McMillan said in a memo to employees last week that he was forming a Laboratory Integrated Stewardship Council that will be headed up by lab Executive Director Rich Marquez that will make staffing and spending decisions and approvals “in order to keep Laboratory spending in line with the budget realities we face.” The panel will include leaders from the lab’s five principal directorates: Alan Bishop (Science, Technology and Engineering), Bret Knapp (Weapons), Terry Wallace (Global Security), Carl Beard (Operations and Business), and Paul Henry (Capital Projects). McMillan said the panel would operate through the end of Fiscal Year 2012 and would make decisions for all hiring and procurements over $100,000. “The LISC is tasked with bringing prudent financial management to our current budget situation while at the same time ensuring that we continue to meet our national security mission and research and development assignments,” McMillan said in the memo.
The memo mentioned nothing about any layoffs at the lab, and McMillan was clear in his memo that the purpose of the panel was to mitigate the impact of the uncertain budget situation facing the National Nuclear Security Administration and the lab. “I recognize that this will require us to start making harder choices in our spending actions, but it is necessary in our current economic climate,” McMillan wrote. “We must be aggressive in our management of costs early in the fiscal year to avoid having to take more drastic actions later.”
31 comments:
Selective firings at LANS has begun. Three TSMs (permanent LANS workers) were fired in the Waste Programs I work in. It seems like a farce for the ADEP to be having a Christmas party this week while they are also firing people. What way to bring in the Holidays LANS; class act!
“I recognize that this will require us to start making harder choices in our spending actions, but it is necessary in our current economic climate,” McMillan wrote.
It's unfortunate that rather than always being prudent and making hard choices about spending, the Labs must have these constant "cyclic" funding/budget emergencies. I thought LANS was going to fix this? Business as usual at the Labs.....feast to famine, feast to famine, .......
This is the same trade publication that reported the negative DC reactions to the untidy search process for the LANL director. Any chance that the lab's budget woes are related?
"Selective firings at LANS has begun." - 1:58 AM
Yes, this is the sleazy method that LANS/Bechtel will use to reduce the headcount and yet avoid paying any severance or unemployment insurance on the laid off employees. Forget about what the LANS contract states about needing DOE authorization and a 90 day waiting period for layoffs. Not gonna happen with this bunch of crooks running the lab.
By the way, I wonder if Director McMillan has given up the LANS supplied luxury car perk that Anastasio received and whether McMillan's boy, PAD Bret Knapp, is still getting LANS supplied tickets to Cali each weekend. Ya think?
Both the weapons and the waste (environmental cleanup) programs look like they are in for some big cuts in the next couple of years.
The waste program is going to see delayed cleanup actions. The weapons program is likely to see less money for ASC and backtracking on the funding for weapon refurbishment programs, particularly for the B61 gravity bomb.
It's easy to see LANL shrinking by at least 10% in the next 12 months, with more shrinkage in the outlying years. I also doubt that the new CMRR building will ever be built at Los Alamos.
But, but, say it aint so. Earlier this year it was all rosy for the weapons program. It was CENTRAL to LANL. It was THE future.
Maybe the director search committee picked a tad early? Maybe they should have given serious consideration to candidates that had experience outside weapons? Looks like they bet the future of the Lab on a one trick pony and now that nag has come up lame.
I know, blame Congress. No way this could have been avoided.
I heard Knapp is terminating X-Division contractors. This was Phase 1 in W and WT-Divisions, that is terminating all the contractors. Phase 2 was a cooperative agreement between Knapp and Gibbs to transfer FTE weapon engineers to the facilities. You guys in X-Division are in for the long-haul. Knapp has the upper-hand and he doesn't like Los Alamos or the workers, in fact he loathes us.
Feel "comforted" by one thing, no matter how bad the budget situation, they will not, under any circumstances reduce the number of managers.
By the way, I wonder if Director McMillan has given up the LANS supplied luxury car perk that Anastasio received and whether McMillan's boy, PAD Bret Knapp, is still getting LANS supplied tickets to Cali each weekend. Ya think?
December 7, 2011 8:55 AM
Don't forget their "beefed-up" bonuses to ensure the taxes on their bonuses "are covered". That's right, they actually have someone calculate how much taxes they pay for the bonus and then add more money to the bonus to cover the taxes on it. Unfortunately, UC had to leave the evidence of this in public records.
Knapp has the upper-hand and he doesn't like Los Alamos or the workers, in fact he loathes us.
December 7, 2011 7:28 PM
You got that right. LANS new PAD of weapons at Los Alamos can't stand the townsite or the people who live here.
Stop BS'ing the people. We all know no matter what you say when the labs need money for experiments or to buy capitol equipment the very first thing they do is shit-can people. Their precious test "come first". Oh and they won't be managers at any level.
This may all turn out in the end to be ok. Recall that MacMillan is the right person at the right time for this job. Probably lots of million dollar houses soon to be bought in Los Alamos.
LISC = Lawsuits Incoming, Scramble for Cover
McMillan said "the panel would operate through the end of Fiscal Year 2012 and would make decisions for all hiring and procurements over $100,000."
Now that MacMillan has given all his tough work to this LISC "panel" what does that leave him doing? Let's see over $100,000 is just about everything. Are you telling me that Marquez and crew are going to scrutinize us on top of all the DOE/NNSA "suits". This is CRAZY!!!
Are you telling me that Marquez and crew are going to scrutinize us on top of all the DOE/NNSA "suits". This is CRAZY!!!
December 10, 2011 1:33 PM
If you don't think Marquez is a DOE/NNSA "suit" you should look into his resume. A bad suit yes, but still a "suit.
If you don't think Marquez is a DOE/NNSA "suit" you should look into his resume. A bad suit yes, but still a "suit.
December 10, 2011 5:43 PM
My bad. Zoot suit on Marquez....esse.
If you don't think Marquez is a DOE/NNSA "suit" you should look into his resume. A bad suit yes, but still a "suit.
December 10, 2011 5:43 PM
Marquez doesn't have a resume, he has a "rap sheet".
McMillan is "uncharted territory" on this $200M problem and showing his inability to lead. The first thing a non-leader would do is to direct his most incompetent soldier (i.e. Marquez) to run into the front lines without cover or without a weapon to see where the opposition is by having him "take a bullet" for him. That's not leadership McMillan! Geezz...
That's not leadership McMillan! Geezz...
December 11, 2011 4:39 PM
Hey, give the guy a break. Some OJT may be needed.
Regent Pattiz will introduce Charles McMillan who was recently appointed Director of Los
Alamos National Laboratory and president of Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS).
LANS manages and operates LANL for the National Nuclear Security Administration.
Mr. McMillan becomes the tenth director in the Laboratory's nearly 70-year history.
He has more than 28 years of scientific and leadership experience in weapons science, stockpile
certification, experimental physics, and computational science.
This blurb from UC says it all. Not mentioned is his experience in balancing budgets or dealing with Congress.
In a move to cut costs, would not be a big surprise to see some in DC ask why we need two design labs.
Not that it is a good idea, just sayin...
The timing of buying about the most expensive house in the history of the county and now the spectre of Christmas layoffs gives one pause for asking for a refund on some weekend leadership courses (charm schools) that were supposed to teach how to avoid being tone deaf.
In a move to cut costs, would not be a big surprise to see some in DC ask why we need two design labs.
Not that it is a good idea, just sayin...
December 12, 2011 11:11 AM
Too young to know that this question has been raised every ten years or so since Teller convinced the AEC that if they wanted the "Super" they'd have to establish LLL since LASL would never do it. History is interesting, but only if you study it.
I am no fan of Knapp, but in a time of record national deficits, the failure of the Super Committee, and political gridlock before an election, it is somehow McMillan's fault the lab is down $200M 5 months after he gets the job?
The credibility of the comments on the blog is diminished by your senseless bashing.
I hear from my friends at Sandia that they hear the redundancy in nuclear labs is being discussed on the Hill...
I hear from my friends at Sandia that they hear the redundancy in nuclear labs is being discussed on the Hill...
December 13, 2011 5:29 PM
LANS/LLNS set themselves up for this by having "Livermore" run both Labs. The relationship between both Labs is incestuous now. In the past, I mean 20 to 30 years ago, there were fierce competition, strong peer review, bordering on hatred. When the Labs meet now it's a "love-in" with Miller, Knapp, McMillan, Mara, and Anastasio, you know the "boys", all hugging and kissing when they meet to "peer review". The price will soon be paid for this decision!
I am no fan of Knapp, but in a time of record national deficits, the failure of the Super Committee, and political gridlock before an election, it is somehow McMillan's fault the lab is down $200M 5 months after he gets the job?
December 13, 2011 5:29 PM
In a word, yes.
Taking a highly compensated position of leadership means you take the blame when things head south.
Yes, McMillan should have been better prepared for the huge losses in funding that are about to hit LANL. He and his manager team have not been doing their budgetary "due diligence".
Unfortunately, it won't be the LANS highly paid management team that takes the pain for their neglect in watching the bottom line.
"Yes, McMillan should have been better prepared for the huge losses in funding that are about to hit LANL."
Duh. The shortfall is in WP, and that was his area even before becoming Director. Yep, the blame is his all the way.
Being the top dog is about more than the first class trips to Europe, the nightly news conferences for the local media, the new million dollar houses, the softball writeups by friendly press, and the doting attention by followers eager to please. Poise, vision, humility, optimism, honesty, and compassion are leadership traits. Such are not obtained at weekend management seminars. Save the charm school retoric for followers with blinders still on. The rest of the people are watching for some principled actions that offer insight into the character of the boss.
December 21, 2011 6:43 AM
This is an utterly naive and out of data world view. You can learn a lot at good management seminars. People like Malcolm Gadwell are where they are because these ideas work. For some reason American culture has not caught up with this vision of loyalty to the management and the company. Companies can only thrive when everybody is on board. We have become a nation of spoiled whiners and our economy is suffering because of this. The rest of the world or at least parts of the world get it and their economies of booming. We on the other hand whine about management. Look if you work hard, do what your told, and stop complaining than maybe you to can become management and enjoy those first class trips to Europe, the million dollar houses, sending the kids to Ivy Leagues, and earning the respect of your fellow managers. Time to get with the program people.
6:43 nailed it. 7:30 is drinking the Kool aid. No management self help book or phony six sigma class will restore the lack of integrity in LANS management.
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