Labs Director Laura McGill welcomed NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams for a daylong visit Feb. 12, marking his first trip to Sandia since the Senate confirmed him as DOE Under Secretary for Nuclear Security.
“It’s really incredible, the capabilities that you practice here at Sandia,” Williams said. “My focus is deterrence. That’s what I think about when I wake up. That’s what I think about when I go to bed.”
The visit highlighted some of Sandia’s one-of-a-kind capabilities in the nuclear security enterprise and aligned with NNSA priorities. Stops included the Microsystems Engineering, Science and Applications, or MESA complex. MESA is the nation’s sole supplier of trusted, strategic radiation-hardened microelectronics for the nuclear stockpile and other national security customers.
Through briefings and tours, Sandia showcased how as the nation’s premier engineering lab, it is positioned to deliver faster and highlighted its role as the lead systems integrator for nuclear weapons, with a focus on ensuring the stockpile is safe, secure and effective.
Williams emphasized the importance of artificial intelligence and quantum computing to national security. DOE Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil also joined Williams during the visit. In addition to Sandia, Williams and Gil visited Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories the week of Feb. 9.
