Anonymously contributed:
More LANS Managers During Budget Cuts at Los Alamos
The Associate Directorate for Weapons (ADW) is being realigned into two directorates to more effectively address performance of LANL's mission, communicate with external customers and partners, and provide more direct access to management.
The Directorate for Weapon Physics (ADX) will be led by Bob Webster as the acting Associate Director and will have responsibility for weapon design and computational physics along with programmatic responsibility for the Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) Program and Science Campaigns (SC). The directorate will consist of X-CP and X-TD Divisions.
The Directorate for Weapon Engineering and Experiments (ADW) will be led by John Benner as the acting Associate Director, and will have responsibility for weapon engineering and dynamic experimentation including Nevada activities along with programmatic responsibility for Directed Stockpile Work (DSW) and Engineering Campaigns (EC). The directorate will consist of WX and W Divisions.
"Bob and John were chosen for these acting assignments because of their demonstrated performance, expertise, and ability to work together as a team to preserve the integration we have achieved between the various components of the program," said Bret Knapp, principal associate director for Weapons Programs.
More LANS Managers During Budget Cuts at Los Alamos
The Associate Directorate for Weapons (ADW) is being realigned into two directorates to more effectively address performance of LANL's mission, communicate with external customers and partners, and provide more direct access to management.
The Directorate for Weapon Physics (ADX) will be led by Bob Webster as the acting Associate Director and will have responsibility for weapon design and computational physics along with programmatic responsibility for the Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) Program and Science Campaigns (SC). The directorate will consist of X-CP and X-TD Divisions.
The Directorate for Weapon Engineering and Experiments (ADW) will be led by John Benner as the acting Associate Director, and will have responsibility for weapon engineering and dynamic experimentation including Nevada activities along with programmatic responsibility for Directed Stockpile Work (DSW) and Engineering Campaigns (EC). The directorate will consist of WX and W Divisions.
"Bob and John were chosen for these acting assignments because of their demonstrated performance, expertise, and ability to work together as a team to preserve the integration we have achieved between the various components of the program," said Bret Knapp, principal associate director for Weapons Programs.
Comments
But in this case, doing this new AD creation smack dab in the the middle of a very painful downsizing effort and when the Director is out complaining about the high cost of regular staff labor at the lab is an especially egregious insult!
LANS management has no shame.
Huh? Is this the best explanation that Bret Knapp can provide on this? Bret Knapp has split and merged Divisions and Directorates so many times it's become a "circus". What the hell does "provide more direct access to management" mean? Why is Knapp so fixated on "reorganizations"? What is Knapp ultimately trying to achieve with all these constant reorganizations? What is his goal?
I am estimating the cost of this new "reorganization" including raises, title changes, office moves, internal and external confusion, etc., will easily cost another $20M. For what? Nothing.
The problem is not "effectively addressing the performance of LANL's mission" but rather "finding a mission".
Bret's been watching too much cable TV, i.e., Direct Access.
Bret's been watching too much cable TV, i.e., Direct Access.
March 23, 2012 2:56 PM
I hear Bret is going to provide Direct Access TV in everyone's office at LANL. He'll be broadcasting a 24-hour a day camera following his hero Mike Anastasio going about his current daily chores and "duties" and live broadcasts of the panorama of LLNL, the "real" Lab.
March 24, 2012 6:19 AM
Agreed, but the second problem is that he's created and elevated the X and W-Division Leaders to the AD level. He's added another layer of Management. Knapp does not know what he's trying to achieve, let alone what he's doing. This guy is a nut case!
March 24, 2012 6:28 AM
But he's wonderfully generous with the fixed bonus pool, sharing his with his new appointees like that.
March 24, 2012 11:30 AM
One guy who has slipped through the radar is Craig Leasure, Knapp's Deputy Principal Laboratory Director. Did anyone notice that Knapp surrounds himself with worthless people? Knapp doesn't want anyone working for him that knows more than him, which is effectively everyone in the Weapons Directorate, except Craig Leasure.
March 25, 2012 6:07 AM
All you have to do is compare the DOE parking lots against the NSSB parking lot. DOE lots look like wrecking yard with older model Fords and Chevys, while the NSSB has fine Porsches (i.e. Knapp), Land Rovers (McMillion), etc. AND it's covered. This is why the Labs were commercialized!
March 25, 2012 6:07 AM
Oh come on. Pretty thinly veiled envy, there. I would think people are free to spend (or waste) their personal money any way they like. Ostentatious displays of wealth are for classless amateurs, and "McMillan, Knapp and crew" are just demonstrating the extent of their amateurism. Complaining about how they got the money is legit. Complaining about how they spend it isn't. Laughter is a better, and healthier, response to that. The richest people I know are very frugal. That's how they got that way and stay that way.
Are you kidding? ADs at LANS are now making much more than a quarter million in lab compensation. Try a salary + bonus of around $600k+ for these choice positions. That's why everyone in the know is stomping on the competition to get to the top of the 'dung pile' LANS management has created at LANL!
Meanwhile, the regular staff -- who McMillan declares are too expensive and are causing the current budget problems -- well, those highly skilled people who accomplish the real work at LANL have to go.
This is truly sick!
The greedy, over compensated "1%-ers" people talk about have finally arrived at LANL to plunder the goods and beat the regular employees into submission with reduced pay and benefits.
March 26, 2012 8:16 AM
They haven't "finally" arrived, they rolledd in with their carpetbags the day after D'Agostino an Tyler the Liar sold us down the river