Two administrators at security contractor WSI Oak Ridge have been replaced after three anti-nuclear weapons activists penetrated the high-security Protected Area at the Y-12 National Security Complex on July 28, allegedly splashing blood and spraying paint on a uranium storage building.
Lee Brooks, former general manager at WSI Oak Ridge, has been replaced by Steve Hafner, who will serve as acting general manager, a press release said. Hafner is senior vice president and director of safety, security, and environment for Mission Support Alliance in Hanford, Wash.
Brooks and Gary Brandon, former director of the Y-12 Protective Force, are waiting to be reassigned by G4SGS, the WSI Oak Ridge press release said. WSI is a G4SGS company.
John Garrity
John Garrity has been named director of the Y-12 Protective Force. He previously served as director of training and emergency management.
Central Training Facility Manager Bryan Lambert will serve as acting director of training and emergency management, the press release said.
Courtney Russell Henry, WSI Oak Ridge public affairs manager, said three security police officers at Y-12 have also been suspended and placed in a restricted-duty status.
Bryan Lambert
The three activists—Greg Boertje-Obed, Megan Rice, and Michael R. Walli—have been charged with misdemeanor trespassing charges and felony property destruction for their alleged intrusion, which they reportedly named “Transform Now Plowshares.” They have a court hearing scheduled at 9:30 a.m. Thursday in U.S. District Court in Knoxville.
Last week, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu called the unprecedented security breach “unacceptable and deeply troubling.”
“The department has no tolerance for security breaches at any of our sites, and I am committed to ensuring that those responsible will be held accountable,” Chu said.
Nuclear operations at the 811-acre Y-12 plant have been temporarily halted, and all employees are undergoing more security training.
Y-12 was built during World War II to enrich uranium for atomic bombs, and it is the nation’s production facility for many nuclear weapons components.
