So, rumor is that EM is running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Something about optics doomed to failure after the beam is reflected off the plasma produced during a shot.
Tri-Valley Cares needs to be on this if they aren't already. We need to make sure that NNSA and LLNL does not make good on promises to pursue such stupid ideas as doing Plutonium experiments on NIF. The stupidity arises from the fact that a huge population is placed at risk in the short and long term. Why do this kind of experiment in a heavily populated area? Only a moron would push that kind of imbecile area. Do it somewhere else in the god forsaken hills of Los Alamos. Why should the communities in the Bay Area be subjected to such increased risk just because the lab's NIF has failed twice and is trying the Hail Mary pass of doing an SNM experiment just to justify their existence? Those Laser EoS techniques and the people analyzing the raw data are all just BAD anyways. You know what comes next after they do the experiment. They'll figure out that they need larger samples. More risk for the local population. Stop this imbecilic pursuit. They wan...
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I guess it is not enough that we are supporting NIF financially; a new rule set is being developed for NIF employee behavior.
If NIF fails he'll just retire and draw his pension and big one at that. He can not be hurt no matter what happens. I'm sure he'll be real concerned while he's on the beach.
All Cat I/II SNM in Superblock is being removed, so it will closed and the $150 million/yr direct funding for security to protect the block cut to zero.
RRW is dead, and it looks like only the LANL designs are going to remain in the enduring stockpile. Also the number of deployed systems may be cut as low as 1000 if the Russians and new administration can reach an agreement.
Site 300 has no work and no mission.
NNSA is going to get much smaller - so can (or will) it be able to fund two large design/physics labs. Or as the poorly written POGO report urges, will the NWC be shrunk and consolidated. I really think the NWC could go down to - LANL, SNL/NM, NTS, Pantex, and KCP.
If LLNL wants to be around, it is going to have to rethink how it does its mission. GM needs to be quietly lobbying in the halls of congress and DOE to move LLNL out of NNSA and back to DOE.
LLNL can be either a national security lab or national science lab in DOE, but it will die if it tries to be a "nuclear security" lab in NNSA.
It does have technical merit and in fact is true. I know folks (personally) who are working the problem. Apparently there is a crash target redesign in the works to try to capture the stray energy so that it does not propagate back to optics/diagnostics.
All of Security is about $100M, and protecting the block is about $50M - $55M of that.
Security (and safety, environmental, etc.) cost at most national labs is derived from overhead tax - spreading the cost across all of the lab's organizations, since security protects the whole lab not just one building. Remember, it use to be that way at LLNL until the GAO and DOE IG reports in the 1990s criticized this approach - as a way of both hiding the true cost of security and not funding it sufficiently.
NNSA is on public record saying the removal of Cat I/II SNM from LLNL will result in major cost savings to NNSA.
When the SNM goes away, the DBT requirements go away, and there's DBT for storage of explosive materials or classified information. So the driver for NNSA giving LLNL $100+ million a year goes away. It will be very hard for NNSA to justify an annual budget item for security at LLNL once the SNM is removed. The Lab programs will once again have to eat security cost, just like any other overhead cost.
So get ready for a $50+ million increase in overhead cost. Also expect LLNS to go bare bones on security capabilities or contract it out to a private company or Alameda Sheriff (like they did with the Lab fire department, which in fact has saved the Lab money with no impact on services).
You need to get your facts straight. The $112M, or whatever the exact number was, represented all security costs, including cyber, not just for the protection of SNM.
Also, security funding for LLNL is essentially the same as other DOE sites--direct. It is not paid by overhead. Direct funding for security began for all in FY01--a dumb move on DOE's part. DOE tried to switch it back about two years ago, but Congress wasn't interested.
Finally, with most of the SNM gone, security funding will still be direct, but, yes. several 10s, maybe $40-50M less.
http://www.energy.gov/about/budget.htm
Look at the "Laboratory Table" and check LLNL.
Under "Weapons Activities" FY2008
Cyber Security -$17.9 million
Defense Nuclear Security - $95.4 million
Also, they want ldrd to fund 80% SI projects and only 20% ER projects. That means less applied and basic science.
NIF is all that LLNL has left and NOTHING else matters. If NIF fails, which it won't, you can close the doors of LLNL and mothball the rest. There is talk about separating NIF physically from the rest of LLNL. It's only a matter of time before she stands by herself. And that's the way it is, thanks for your business.
Yes, having sucked all we could from the lab, the photon factory will want to disconnect from lab to avoid actually having to contribute back.
Why is this surprising to you? It is the laser way...
Get real. NIF is a huge drain on the rest of us. NIF has not paid its fair share of lab upkeep, and has disproportionately taken all internal investment.
If NIF were shut down tomorrow, the result for the rest of us would be lower taxes, opportunities for the rest of us to help shape the lab's future, and some gardening staff freed up to work on non-NIF landscaping.
It is such a fallacy that we are dependent on NIF. In fact, an LLNL without NIF would have many options for new missions that it cannot have under the current regime.
Get real, you dudes couldn't even get part of a $700M dollar grant for alternative energy research. That's how much DOE thinks about YOU, non nifites... I doubt you'll get anything else, especially with Obama in office where he needs to cut funds for non essentials to aid his social programs. NIF will soon be doing it's normal 10% cut per year for as long as it exist sending back those they don't need to their parent commands. Since you guys have no money I can only assume those people will be going out the gate. Isn't that called a reorg?
The above is one of the best reasons for shutting LLNL down. It no longer works as a cohesive unit for the benefit of the country. Does NIF really have any national recognition outside the fence?
Despite the high taxes (induced due to NIF) and declining interest from DOE to fund the NNSA labs, the rest of LLNL still manages to maintain WFO and DOE funding. Several areas are even growing. Removing NIF from the equation would only cause these non-NIF programs to bloom and prosper.
If management woke-up and stopped feeding the beast (NIF), they might be surprised to find a bunch of staff ready to lead and move LLNL forward to meet the National needs of the 21st century!