With the holiday season upon us, I hope you will be able to spend time with the people that make your life happier and more meaningful. Whether it's an office get-together or family gathering, this is a special time for being with loved ones, family and friends.
This is also a time of year that inspires us to look back on what we have accomplished together. Each day I'm impressed and humbled by the work you do for our country. The dedication you show to implementing the President's nuclear security agenda and keeping the American people safe is unmatched, and you have my deepest gratitude for the professionalism and thoughtfulness with which you do it.
This year brought some of the most complex issues we have ever faced. From our response in Japan to the dismantlement of the last B53, you rose to the challenges that came our way and proved once again that NNSA has one of the most talented and diligent workforces in the Federal government. I know that 2012 will bring more even more opportunities for us to achieve great things together. Neile and I wish each of you a safe and enjoyable holiday season, and look forward to the work we will do together in 2012.
Tom D'Agostino
Administrator
15 comments:
“…dismantlement of the last B53,…”
LOL…it might be a milestone of some minor note, but, among “the most complex issues we have ever faced”?
The NNSA doesn't do these things. Their 'stuck on the bottom of their shoe' contractor workforce does these things.
That's why our salaries have been price-controlled for years. We do the work, so we deserve our economic compensation fall behind the rate of inflation.
I can't wait to see the workforce shortages these raise-freezes produce. Add the RIFs and incentives like polygraphs, crushing take-no-risk bureaucracies, mother-may-I area offices and we-owe-you-nothing-401(k) plans and it's pretty clear where this enterprise is headed.
I hope no one thinks what we do is going to be needed some day.
Uh, Tom, just to let you on a little secret. There's a few of us who'd like to modernize the weapons. We'd like to go down to NTS and try them out. That is not on President Obama's radar. Just thought you'd like to hear from the minority. But don't worry, we'll still tell you what we have on the shelf works. Whatever makes you look good and keeps a paycheck coming our way.
You know things are going down the tubes when the only accomplishments to speak of are dismantling a Cold War bomb and helping our former World War II foe cleanup a reactor "spill".
Uh, Tom, just to let you on a little secret. There's a few of us who'd like to modernize the weapons. We'd like to go down to NTS and try them out.
December 23, 2011 6:02 PM
Get a life Pedicini, it's not going to happen, not in this century, not on this planet.
Dare I say who in world Neile is? His dog, cat, hamster?
We'd like to go down to NTS and try them out.
December 23, 2011 6:02 PM
The next US nuclear weapon test will be above-ground, and operational. Then we'll find out if the stockpile has been diligently "stewarded" by DOE.
"The next US nuclear weapon test will be above-ground, and operational. Then we'll find out if the stockpile has been diligently "stewarded" by DOE."
The two sounds you never want to hear: Bang when it was supposed to go click, and click when it was supposed to go bang.
Let's hope the stewardship does not create those sounds.
Let's hope the stewardship does not create those sounds.
Hope is a great approach to national defense.
Why don't cha unfreeze our salaries ya' dingus?
...am tired of coming in late and going home early.
It always good to see if your weapon shoots straight before you use it.
The consensus opinion of the "shoe and the underwear" bombers.
or
LEARN FROM THE DIFFICULT HISTORY OF ANOTHER STRATEGIC WEAPON.
The WWII US Mark 7 torpedo magnetic trigger failed in initial operation at the beginning of WWII in the south pacific and was undetected for nearly two years, due to inadequate pre-operational testing. In wartime, the fired torpedo ran too deep for the trigger to work, something that was not discovered in field tests in 1939-1940 because east test cost $100k so the test torpedo was recovered and reused rather than exploded.
Had it worked as well as it did when it was fixed in 1943, it is likely that Admiral Hart's fledgling Submarine squadrons based in the Phillipines, lead by some of the most onery killers the silent service has produced, consisting of 20 new and almost undetectable (at the time)long range fleet submarines, could have almost stopped or delayed the invasion of the Phillipines and wrought hell on Japanese transports that never were properly convoyed.
The reign of devastation that eventually sunk 50% of Japanese shipping and perhaps 15% of warships could have begun immediately on December 8, 1941 instead of from Pearl Harbor in mid-1943, almost two years later, after the problem was sorted out.
Instead the valiant sub skippers fish ran true, but almost everyone, including the scientists blamed their poor aim and honesty.
It was a skeptical and frustrated do-it-yourself sub crew that demonstrated the failure after much ado.
We should learn from our previous strategic mistake, one that may have added a year and 50,000 casualties to the Pacific war including the infamous 20,000 person Bataan death march of the fallen US Forces of the Phillipines... - had we properly and completely tested our work.
No more "fail to fire" torpedos. Test weapons or destroy them.
s/Trust but verify
By the way, Had the triggers worked, the Pacific War might have been over before the bomb was needed to stop the carnage,
*that in early August 1945 prior to the end of hostilities due to the bombing was running about 10,000 dead per day in the Pacific, Manchurian, Chinese and Indonesian theatres as well as on the home islands, with no end in sight as the invasion of Honshu was planned for Jan 1946.
*paraphased from Retribution, by Max Hastings
By the way, our Chinese friends, 25% of whose homeland was occupied by barbarous Japanese forces from 1937-1945 and who may have lost 10,000,000 dead- 200,000 in Nanking alone - and provided 10s of thousands of comfort women, even today probably do not regret the quantum leap taken by their US allies to rapidly end the Pacific War when it finally became possible in July 1945.
What the heck does D'Agostino care about history?
He has the dark congress to molify. Let the chips fall where they may.
No wonder modern Chinese do not hold Japanese in particularly high regard.
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