Transformation: Exhibiting flexibility in a time of change
Sandia’s role in the national science and technology arena is undergoing dramatic change. While upgrading and maintaining the country’s nuclear stockpile remains a top priority, Sandia also is spearheading other research in the name of national security. The Labs’ organization is reflecting this broader focus. Here are some thoughts on this transformation from the Labs Leadership Team.
“Complex 2030 envisions
transformation of the stockpile from
the life-extension project era — where
alterations and modifications extend the
life of existing weapons — to a stockpile
based on the Reliable Replacement
Warhead concept. This will require the
complex to operate and produce full
systems in a way unlike we have in the
recent past. An RRW-based stockpile
enables better manufacturability,
incorporates greater design margins, and
enables improvements in safety, security, and use control.
It allows us to design weapons in such a way that we
can continue to have confidence in our assessment of
weapon reliability with much enhanced surety.”
Deputy Director Joan Woodard,
Nuclear Weapons
“For the foreseeable future,
nuclear weapons will
play a critical role in the
nation’s security. Yet, the
nation has also recognized
that the threats we face are
more diverse than ever,
ranging from the terrorist
threat of non-state actors,
to rogue states, to peer
competitors, to economic
conflict regarding energy
and resources. Sandia is well positioned to offer new
ideas and new science, technology, and engineering to
address these threats. Sandia’s strength has always been
to ‘deliver the goods,’ whether to meet customers’ urgent
needs or to deliver a technology for which the utility
will not be realized for decades into the future. If we
continue to create new ideas, solve today’s problems for
our customers, and deliver the technologies they need for
tomorrow, we will always be able to provide ‘exceptional
service in the national interest.’”
Deputy Director Al Romig,
Integrated Technologies and Systems
“Our new Strategic Plan reflects a
much deeper awareness of the need to
transform so that Sandia is properly
positioned to meet the nation’s
expectations in the future. We need
to not just be driven by the winds of
fortune, but rather be intentional about
how we manage the Laboratories and
particularly about how we manage the
movement of work and people.
“Everyone at Sandia is part of the
transformation effort. It isn’t about some
separate entity that someone, somewhere else is working
on transformation. It’s something that’s deeply embedded
through Sandia.”
Deputy Director John Stichman,
Labs Transformation
