Members of the NNSS’ Strategic Operations and Response Support (SOARS) Division and Technical Analysis and Planning Department attended the 2026 Emergency Management Symposium June 9-11 at Argonne National Laboratory.
The annual symposium brings together emergency management professionals from across the DOE and NNSA, including laboratories, plants, sites, federal program offices and partner agencies. This year’s theme, “Emergency Management in a Changing World,” focused on innovation, readiness, operational security, emerging technologies, preparedness for evolving threats and hazards, and lessons learned from exercises and real-world events.
During the symposium, SOARS Manager Lucas Basham Murphy delivered a presentation titled “Beyond Today’s Tech: Preparing Emergency Operations Centers for the AI–Quantum Computing Era.” The presentation explored how artificial intelligence and quantum computing may affect the future of emergency management and emergency operations centers. Topics included situational awareness, decision support, cybersecurity, information integrity, AI-enhanced hazards, and the importance of maintaining human judgment and accountability as new technologies continue to evolve.
“Emergency management is changing quickly, and the tools available to support our work are changing with it,” said Lucas. “The goal is not to replace human judgment with technology, but to better understand how emerging technologies can strengthen situational awareness, improve decision support and help us prepare for new risks in a responsible way.”
The symposium provided attendees with opportunities to engage with other DOE/NNSA emergency management professionals and attend presentations on topics like emergency communications, WebEOC, continuity of operations, unmanned aircraft systems, hazardous materials planning, emergency public information, artificial intelligence integration and emerging emergency management technologies.
NNSS was recognized during the symposium with two individual awards. Lucas received the 2026 Outstanding Innovator Award for his forward-thinking contributions to emergency management and his work to advance new ideas, tools and approaches in support of emergency operations. NNSS Fire and Rescue’s Dakota Vaughn-O’Brien received the Outstanding Collaborator Award, recognizing his commitment to partnership, coordination and teamwork across emergency management and response activities.
Participation in the symposium provided valuable takeaways for the NNSS, including practical ideas for strengthening EOC operations, improving technology readiness, preparing for AI-enhanced threats, enhancing emergency communications, and continuing to modernize emergency management tools, training and coordination processes. The event also reinforced the importance of collaboration across the DOE/NNSA complex as emergency management programs prepare for a rapidly changing operational environment.
The knowledge, relationships and recognition gained through the 2026 Emergency Management Symposium reflect NNSS’s continued commitment to readiness, innovation, collaboration and excellence in emergency management.