US NUCLEAR ALERT - NNSA STAFF FIRED

This is more serious than it seems

Washington DC 14 FEB 2025

BREAKING NEWS

• 325 staff fired from the US nuclear security enterprise

• Which agencies?

• NNSA - National Nuclear Security Agency under the Dept of Energy

• Related National Laboratories

• Who is effected?

• 325 employees fired (likely probationers)

• Classic Friday night gold hidden in a “throw out the trash” story

Likely staff on new employee probation. This is maga / DOGE SOP across all agencies. Probationers are low hanging fruit and easy to fire, compared to employees who have successfully completed probation and have become regular civil servants.

DOGE has plans for them too, if they have not taken the “buy-out”.

Why it matters?

What the shocking headline doesn't tell you is how hard it is, and how long it takes, to get the right people to become stewards of our nuclear weapons.

The work done at the NNSA and related National Laboratories is literally the continuation of the Manhattan Project.

It requires at least two very high bars to be met.

1. People who can gain the Q (or L) nuclear clearance, usually along side a TS-SCI.¹

Unsurprisingly, being able to access the nation’s nuclear secrets requires the most stringent security clearance process, potentially taking up to a year or longer per candidate.²

2. People with a minimum of a masters degree in their field of expertize - typically in this case nuclear engineering.

This isn't Walmart. We are not talking about unskilled labor that is easily replaced. On top of all the physics, you can now add the challenges of AI as well as global strategy where MAD rarely aplies between multiple states who all pose an existential threat.

The minimum level of expertize required for most of these positions is likely to be a Masters degree in nuclear engineering (and related fields) from a top university. A proportion of this new crop of staff, maybe as many as 20% if not more, will have PhDs.

Throughput

All organizations, government or civilian, depend on a regular pattern of employee throughput to account for natural attrition. The harder the skillset and the higher the clearances required, the tougher the challenge it is to keep inputs at or above outputs.

Going full Pol Pot against expertize is not smart policy in general, and breathtakingly dangerous when it comes to nuclear weapons.

Just one years pause will have catastrophic effects on our ability to maintain nuclear stockpile surety.³

Why is this happening?

Either DOGE does not understand this category is different to all the others. Or this is a purposeful attempt to undermine America's most grave national security challenges.

Ask who benrfits from this act?

I can guarantee you it is not the American people or our national security. You can almost hear the champagne corks popping in Moscow, Beijing, Tehran and Pyongyang.

What do all those capitals have in common?

They have all been courted by the Trump Administration.

Which capitals have been under constant criticusm and pressure?

Paris, Berlin, London, Warsaw and Kiev.

Ask yourselves why.⁴

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Newsweek has most information at this early stage. Quotes follow

The Trump administration is seeking layoffs that could cut up to 2,000 Energy Department employees, two sources familiar with the decision told Reuters. The department employs approximately 14,000 federal workers and oversees 95,000 contractors across various energy and security sectors.

One source revealed that approximately 325 employees have been dismissed from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which oversees the U.S. nuclear weapons fleet and works to secure radiological materials worldwide.

However, another source said those layoffs have been "partly rescinded"—mainly for essential nuclear security workers. It remains unclear how many of the 325 firings were rescinded.

A letter sent to some employees and seen by Reuters said: "DOE finds that your further employment would not be in the public interest. For this reason, you are being removed from your position with DOE and the federal civil service effective today.”

Democratic lawmakers confirmed to the outlet that the layoffs also impact workers at national laboratories, hydroelectric plants and Cold War-era nuclear sites. According to two sources, the layoffs followed the arrival of three representatives from billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at the agency.

Another 45 employees from the Loans Programs Office also were reportedly dismissed. The office oversees the disbursement of hundreds of billions of dollars in loans for clean energy, nuclear and clean vehicle projects.

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UPDATE

Reports say the NNSA is trying to rehire the fired staff but cant find them. Did they lose their applications and security clearances with their personal contact information? Its just ludicrous.

The USG is a tiny bit more complicated than a basic website spewing short messages of extremists. You can't cut it to the bone, then sit back and watch it crash in order to work out which parts are important.

Mark my words, there is going to be a nuclear event under this administration. When you destabilize government, increase the cognitive load on those already managing complex systems, and play games with the surety of weapons of mass destruction, along with the safe and secure operation of nuclear power, luck can only take you so far.

The safety, security and wealth of 320m people (and indirectly billions of others) is NOT A SIMULATION.

It is the work of serious people with real qualitications, and decades of experience.

America is spiraling. These problems are visible to the public. What cant we see? If the nuclear enterprise is compromised many people will die. Running a superpower is not a game.

1. Qanon was named after the Q clearance. Its so stupid I wont get into it here, but mention it only because some readers might make the connection.

2. Or, previously, a visit to a bathroom at a resort.

3. Nuclear surety is a term used to describe the procedures, processes, and technologies that ensure the safety, security, and reliability of nuclear weapons and materials. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including:

* Preventing unauthorized use, access, or movement of nuclear weapons and materials.

* Maintaining the physical security and control of nuclear weapons and materials.

* Ensuring that nuclear weapons are maintained in a safe and reliable condition.

* Ensuring that nuclear weapons are only used in accordance with authorized and legal orders.

* Preparing for and responding to accidents, incidents, or emergencies involving nuclear weapons or materials.

Nuclear surety is a critical aspect of nuclear weapons management, as it helps to mitigate the risks associated with these highly dangerous and powerful weapons.

4. On a personal note, I had dry Januaried until today.