Security Debate Shadows NNSA Chief’s Departure
By Diane Barners
Global Security Newswire
WASHINGTON — A top U.S. nuclear official is set to retire next week in good standing with the Obama administration, even though a major security scandal prompted a number of watchdogs to call for his resignation months ago.
When Thomas D’Agostino announced last month that he would step down as administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration on Jan. 18, Energy Secretary Steven Chu praised him as a “talented leader” of the semiautonomous DOE office that oversees the U.S. nuclear security complex and conducts nonproliferation projects around the world.
“From leading a vast acceleration of the department’s efforts to reduce nuclear dangers at home and abroad, to overseeing our efforts to protect public health and safety by cleaning up the nation’s Cold War nuclear legacy, Tom has earned the title one major news outlet gave him: “undersecretary for saving the world,'” the Cabinet official said in written remarks.
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