Continuity of Operations (COOP) leadership from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the broader Nuclear Security Enterprise met October 5-6 at the Nevada National Security Sites (NNSS) for collaborative exercise training and best practices sharing during the 2023 Continuity Program Subcommittee (CPSC) forum. Hosted by NNSS Security and Emergency Services, the event featured representation from the Y-12 National Security Complex, Idaho National Laboratory, Savannah River Site, Hanford Site, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Pantex Plant.
The COOP Program leverages the experiences, expertise and insights of its members to promote continuity readiness within the Department of Energy and NNSA. In the event normal operations are impacted, a COOP plan details how an organization can maintain its essential functions and performance.
“As our nationwide continuity partners will attest, the most basic continuity of operations requirement is to keep essential functions up and running during a disaster and to recover with as little downtime as possible,” said NNSS Principal Emergency Response Specialist Jack Martin. “Frequently exercising our individual COOP plan increases our ability to restore and maintain essential functions after a disaster incident and communicate with staff and stakeholders before, during and after an event.”
COOP leaders conducted a deep dive into operational topics, including how to further build redundancy into readiness framework, coordination and communication standards, and downtime mitigation strategies. Participants concluded the two-day event with a tour of the Site, showcasing how continuity readiness has played a vital role in the NNSS’ nearly 73 years of operations and continues to propel its national security mission forward.
“Collectively, our CPSC team is building a more resilient future for our plants, labs and sites by sharing our expertise and leveraging our experiences,” Martin added, “so we are equipped to manage the challenges of tomorrow.”
