Access Control
& Security Systems

The head of Sandia National Laboratories acknowledged security problems at the nuclear lab, including guards napping on duty, stolen computers and the brief disappearance of a set of master keys.

C. Paul Robinson said hat security and management problems showed a need for major changes at the lab that helps safeguard and ensure the reliability of the United States' nuclear stockpile.

Sandia lab managers said security officers came forward last summer with concerns about breakdowns in discipline and lax security. Robinson said 42 of the lab's 23,000 computers were reported stolen during the 2002 budget year. None of the stolen machines contained classified information. A set of master keys missing for more than a week was returned, and no classified information was compromised, Robinson said.

About a dozen security officers have been put on paid leave. The lab has also referred some cases to the FBI, Energy Department and local law enforcement, The Associated Press reports.

The lab is operated for the Department of Energy by Sandia Corp., a Lockheed Martin company. It has facilities in Albuquerque and Livermore, Calif.

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