Security Breaches in Y-12 Uncover a Compromised Security Protocol Exam
Homeland Security Digital Library Blog 2012-11-05
Summary:
On July 28, 2012, the Y-12 National Security Complex experienced a security breach in which three anti-nuclear protestors, including an 83-year-old nun, broke into the complex using bolt cutters and hammers. They spent several hours in a pre-dawn excursion that included spray-painting anti-war graffiti on the outside of Y-12’s Highly-Enriched Uranium Manufacturing Facility, according to a New York Times article published on August 7.
In response to the break-in, the Department of Energy (DOE) decided an inspection of security protocols was in order, and issued a practical test "designed to evaluate the knowledge, skills and abilities of the site's Protective Force", according to a special report by the DOE.
But in another breach of security protocol, a DOE Health, Safety, and Security (HSS) inspector found a copy of the test key on August 29 inside a WSI-Oak Ridge patrol truck assigned to a Protective Force official. The test was meant to be given the next day.