AIKEN, S.C. – The Savannah River Site (SRS) is growing its Knowledge Transfer Program (KTP) with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) by selecting four new employee participants.
Launched in August 2020, the KTP marked the first official joint training effort between SRS and LANL, the two sites designated by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to produce plutonium pits needed for modernization of the U.S. nuclear stockpile to achieve nuclear deterrence. To reach rate production of at least 80 pits per year between the two sites, both must manage process and facility-related equipment and systems to achieve a high level of reliability and availability.
In April, three employees from Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the managing and operating contractor at SRS, began new KTP assignments to assist LANL in enhancing its Asset Management program, including activities such as establishing the technical baseline for equipment, conducting field walkdowns to verify equipment configurations and helping to develop reliability-centered maintenance equipment strategies. The task also involves helping to create and train the team that will ultimately execute and maintain the Asset Management program. A fourth staff member will support Weapon Mission Services Training.
The employees, all assigned to SRNS Pit Production Operations and Programs (PPOP), are Kevin Cross, Richard Gottschau, Miguel Vasquez and Jon “Coach” Wiley. They are joined by Lacey Brunson, who recently transitioned from a KTP assignment in LANL’s Pit Assembly group to assist with an Asset Management role. Vincent Shih, who started his Knowledge Transfer rotation at LANL in October 2024, is helping to coordinate the Asset Management team, in addition to providing other facility management support for LANL’s Chief Operations Office.
Four other SRNS employees currently completing KTP assignments at LANL include Robert Riede and Calvin Smith, who are working in LANL’s Production Systems and Technology Group, and Daniel Cirincione and Stephen Veldman, who have assignments related to foundry and pyrochemical operations in LANL’s PF-4 pit production facility.
According to Darlene Murdoch, SRNS Senior Vice President – NNSA Pit Production Operations and Programs, the partnership with LANL plays a key role in supporting defense programs at both sites. “We select mission-minded participants to receive specialized training at LANL, leveraging LANL’s pit production experience and bringing to the table our proven SRS track record of 24-hour operations and 75 years of service,” she said. “This is a mutually-beneficial relationship for both SRS and LANL to achieve a common goal of national security.”
KTP participants embark upon a two-year assignment at LANL, located in New Mexico. Once their rotation is complete, these employees bring their newly-acquired skills and knowledge back to SRS for an additional two-year assignment, supporting the SRNS pit production mission through active participation in various Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility (SRPPF) and PPOP activities.
Since the program’s inception, more than 30 SRS employees have signed up to participate in the KTP. Murdoch said the PPOP organization will continue to expand the program. “Our efforts to identify opportunities for placing staff at LANL are ongoing,” she said. “It is critical that we continue growing our partnership with LANL and learning all we can about pit production and related operations.”
For Wiley, an SRPPF Operations Instructor, Instructional Technologist who started his KTP assignment on April 1, the opportunity has been an exciting challenge. “KTP provides a great avenue to further develop the critical knowledge and skills needed to support SRPPF/PPOP missions,” he said.