AIKEN, S.C. – The Savannah River Site (SRS) recently hosted a group of prominent defense leaders from the U.S. Air Force, including Lieutenant General Andrew J. Gebara, Major General Jason Armagost and Brigadier General Michael Walters.
Gebara serves as Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration at the U.S. Air Force Headquarters. Armagost is Commander of the Eighth Air Force and Joint-Global Strike Operations Center, while Walters serves as Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Military Application at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
The visit included a tour of Savannah River Tritium Enterprise (SRTE), the Pit Production Operations and Programs Manufacturing Technology Center, the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility (SRPPF), and other SRS facilities and areas that play a vital role in U.S. defense program missions.
SRTE delivers the nation’s only tritium supply for the nuclear stockpile, while SRPPF is part of the NNSA’s two-site strategy for producing plutonium pits – a critical component of nuclear weapons – at the quantities needed for U.S. stockpile modernization in support of nuclear deterrence.
Gebara and Walters also hosted a Town Hall meeting with Site employees, sharing their perspectives on leadership, mission readiness and the essential role SRS plays in supporting the nation’s nuclear deterrent. While addressing the SRS workforce, Walters remarked, “I’m overwhelmed – not just by the facilities and the mission here but by the work that you do, the dedication and sacrifice. You can see the amount of pride that everybody puts into their job. There’s no small job; every job here is critical to our national nuclear strategic deterrence.”
According to Jim Dawkins, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the Site’s managing and operating contractor, “Lt. Gen. Gebara and Brig. Gen. Walters are some of the nation’s foremost leaders in critical defense areas. They bring a wealth of experience connecting strategic defense to everyday mission execution. It was an honor hosting these distinguished leaders at SRS and providing our employees the opportunity to hear firsthand how the valuable work they’re performing every day strengthens the broader mission of national security.”
“The mission that this workforce is executing here at Savannah River remains one of the most critical enablers of our Enterprise’s ambitious modernization efforts,” said Walters. “We’re proud to entrust that with everyone in this room today. “
Gebara agreed, concluding, “Remember – there is nothing you are going to do in your professional life that’s more important to our country – and frankly to the entire world – than what you’re doing right now.”
U.S. Air Force officials tour the Pit Production Operations and Programs Manufacturing Technology Center and
the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility at the Savannah River Site.
Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile; works to reduce the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and militarily effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad.
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, a Fluor and HII partnership company, is responsible for the management and operations of the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site, located near Aiken, South Carolina.
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