Is the National Nuclear Enterprise Workforce Postured to Modernize the Triad? Insights and Options from a Quick-Turn Assessment

Since the end of the Cold War, the health of the national nuclear enterprise workforce has been a matter of abiding concern to senior U.S. officials. The two government agencies with principal responsibility for this workforcethe U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)have had to contend with adverse demographic trends, recruitment and retention challenges, and intense competition for specific skills and expertise, especially in scientific and engineering fields, to maintain a workforce with the capabilities and experience needed for nuclear-related duties. The challenges affecting this workforce have been highlighted in several reviews undertaken in the wake of widely publicized incidentssuch as the unauthorized transfer of nuclear assets and a serious breach of security at the nations principal highly enriched uranium processing facilityin which poor employee performance was judged to be a major contributing factor.1 Using the recommendations of these reviews, both DoD and NNSA have undertaken significant initiatives to enhance the organization, training, equipping, and funding of the national nuclear enterprise, including its workforce. As a result, the health of the workforce has notably improved over the past decade, with significant gains in hiring, training, development, and morale.