Deputy Labs Director Laura McGill and Associate Labs Director Steven Girrens led an all-hands meeting on nuclear deterrence on Feb. 18 at the Steve Schiff Auditorium. Staff from Sandia California joined virtually.

Laura opened the meeting by discussing the changes in our current environment and emphasizing that Sandia is meeting its deliverables.

“We are here when the nation needs us,” she said. “We are delivering the capabilities the nation needs.”

In addition to recognizing Engineers Week, a significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing Sandia’s roles and capabilities in the nuclear security enterprise. The first is Sandia’s role as the lead system integrator for the nuclear weapons program. This role requires close collaboration with labs, plants and sites across the nuclear security enterprise, as well as NNSA, DOE and DOD contractors to ensure systems and subsystems in weapon systems work together seamlessly.

Dan McMurtrey from the Microsystems Engineering and Science Applications Complex, or MESA, discussed Sandia’s crucial role as the design and production agency for strategic, radiation-hardened microelectronics for stockpile systems.

“We bring capabilities that matter in the nuclear industry,” Dan said. He added that MESA is the largest government-owned fabrication facility, providing thousands of parts for DOE, NNSA and DOD.

Other topics covered included an update on modernization and stockpile programs; a highlight on the exceptional 2024 production delivery performance; infrastructure challenges; changes to the Nuclear Deterrence Program Management Office; a summary of future projects; and an update on nuclear deterrence strategy and innovation activities. The session wrapped up with a look ahead at digital engineering and artificial intelligence for nuclear deterrence activities.