USSTRATCOM commander and NNSA administrator address Sandians
BY KENNY VIGIL
THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2024
VIP HUDDLE — Laboratories Director James Peery, right, hosted Jill Hruby, NNSA administrator, left; Gen. Anthony Cotton, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, center; and Marv Adams, NNSA deputy administrator for Defense Programs, on July 15. (Photo by Craig Fritz)
In a packed auditorium at Sandia’s New Mexico site, Gen. Anthony Cotton, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, and NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby delivered a stark message about the evolving security landscape. Unlike the Taliban and ISIS, adversaries like Russia and China pose different and more complex threats.
“There are folks who just want to undermine and destroy international laws and norms,” Cotton said. “I need your help.”
STRATCOM VISIT — Gen. Anthony Cotton discusses the geopolitical landscape and why Sandia’s work is critical to the security of the U.S. and its allies during a July 15 visit to the New Mexico site. (Photo by Craig Fritz)
Cotton and Hruby presented “Today’s Strategic Environment” July 15 to an audience that included both in-person and virtual attendees. Their daylong visit underscored the urgency of accelerating nuclear deterrence efforts.
“The adversary is not going to wait for us,” Cotton said. “We have to figure out how to get this done faster.”
Cotton spoke of ongoing efforts to understand North Korea’s relationship with Russia and its implications for the U.S. and its allies. He added that while the U.S. was focused on fighting the Taliban and ISIS, Russia was building up its strategic deterrence forces.
Cotton started and ended his portion of the hourlong presentation by acknowledging Sandia’s work.
“I will continue to say, ‘Thank you.’ The work you’re doing here is incredibly important,” he said. “The work you do here is challenging, but your hard work is crucial. What you do every day strengthens our national security and makes the world a safer place.”
Science and deterrence
FAMILIAR TERRITORY — NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby co-presented “Today’s Strategic Environment” during her July 15 visit to the Labs. “It’s great to be back with so many colleagues and friends,” the former Labs Director said, before updating Sandians about some of NNSA’s priorities related to nuclear deterrence. (Photo by Craig Fritz)
Administrator Hruby echoed Cotton’s sentiments, stressing the importance of maintaining a credible deterrent.
“Science is a major part of deterrence,” she said. “We can’t let our science degrade. They copy our science and they’re right that we know what we’re doing.”
Hruby detailed the nuclear security enterprise’s collaboration with DOD on seven programs of record, including the B61-12 and the W88 Alt 370, which are now in the production phase.
“We have a really demanding program of record,” said Hruby, a former Sandia Labs Director. “We need to go faster, but we’re doing a good job. The modernization we have to do going forward is harder than the modernization we had to do in the past.”
Hruby said one area of focus is the need for robust infrastructure to support future capabilities, including space, equipment and technology.
When asked how Sandia can deliver faster, she responded, “We have the best workforce distribution in terms of experience that we’ve had in a long time in NNSA. Let’s make it work for us instead of against us.” She encouraged employees to bring forward their ideas.
Hruby also underscored the role modern engineering — one of Sandia’s two big goals — will have on success.
“Sandia is leading a digital engineering effort,” she said. “I’m grateful Sandia has stepped up to lead this — it’s a complex-wide activity. It’s important to our future.”
