A publication of the Office of Advanced Simulation & Computing, NNSA Defense Programs
NA-ASC-500-07—Issue 4
September 2007
Return to this issue’s stories
The View from HQ
By Dimitri Kusnezov
Perceptions are not always reality
“Why does Dimitri hate our Lab?” This question was posed to a colleague recently—and passed on to me. My first response was surprise, which quickly turned to introspection. I do not think of the labs in such a context; rather, I think of them as dynamic entities. I see the labs through the people, through the trust and professional relations that develop over time and through their ability to work with us and deliver on commitments. While I might claim the question is ill-posed, that does not address the real issue: How does such a perception arise?
The purpose of the labs was forged in a time of extraordinary national need. The labs were formed to support national goals through an often intense scientific competition and mutual review. Their value to the country and the corresponding financial support were a matter of national consensus. In the early days, resources were made available in almost unlimited amounts, and hard choices were rarely necessary.
Today, the need to support such a far-reaching range of scientific and engineering capabilities at the labs is less clear. Budgets are bitterly contested at the congressional, agency, and the laboratory levels. Decisions that ensure a viable future for the labs need to be made in the context of skill sets, competencies, and performance. Often, difficult decisions result in winners and losers and lead to the perception of more or less favored institutions. The implementation of the 2030 complex transformation agenda may appear as though Washington managers are rewarding the plants and the real work at the expense of the more basic science-oriented activities.
Despite this appearance, I am committed to supporting the science and technology on which the success of NNSA has always depended. But, at the same time, it is necessary for me to stretch the available resources to cover a broader spectrum of activities and to insist that the monies we allocate are leveraged to the greatest extent possible. The ASC Program, like the other NNSA programs, requires that the labs evolve toward a more interdependent system of cooperating research-and-development institutions, working together and avoiding unnecessary duplication, and moving away from the old model of completely self-sufficient, competing labs. The long-term future of the labs depends on a stronger partnership with each other and with NNSA and away from the adversarial relationships that are more common than not today.
It is in this context that I must drive future directions, often make unpopular choices, and recognize that I can be seen as playing favorites and selecting winners. I strive for a partnership between Headquarters and the sites and am seriously committed to fairness, based on objective criteria, external reviews and scrutiny, and not likes or dislikes. I must confess that this does not make life easy. If I didn’t love the labs and value and respect the science and technology that comes out of these institutions, I couldn’t do this job.
DOE Privacy Disclaimer | Sandia Privacy Disclaimer
Last Modified September 26, 2007
Developed and maintained by Sandia National Laboratories for NA.114