Lintgram #59 Created by NNSA Administrator Ambassador Linton F. Brooks on October 30, 2006 with highlights addressing Integrated Safety Management.

North Korea’s Nuclear Test. On October 8, North Korea announced that it had tested a nuclear weapon, becoming the eighth state to conduct such a test
and the first state that did so following withdrawal from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The United States is working through diplomatic channels to reverse this decision. It is not clear what role there will be for the Department of Energy with regards to North Korea in the future. Secretary Bodman is, of course, participating with other Cabinet officers in policy deliberations. At a minimum, this action intensifies the importance of the work we do under Second Line of Defense and Megaports to counter nuclear smuggling. In the longer term, there may be other important calls for detection technology associated with nuclear weapons and nuclear materials. Such technology is the unique province of NNSA. Above all, this test should remind us that we are in an inherently complicated and dangerous world. That is why the work we do is so important.