Savannah River Site engineer selected for national weapon training program

A Savannah River Nuclear Solutions employee is heading west to take part in a prestigious technical training program.

Nicholas Sloan, Pit Production Operations and Programs weapon quality engineer became the latest participant from the Savannah River Site selected for the Weapon Intern Program, an 11-month residential educational program hosted by Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M, according to a news release.

The mission of the program is to prepare future generations of experts in nuclear weapons stewardship.

The only program of its kind within the Nuclear Security Enterprise, the WIP offers participants an in-depth, Enterprise-wide exposure to all aspects of the nuclear deterrent, according to the release. Over the past 25 years, WIP has graduated over 500 participants from multiple organizations, including the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Only 24 participants are accepted into the program each year. Of those accepted, 12 are external to Sandia, allowing for one or two candidates to participate from SRS each year, according to the release.

The program includes extensive classroom instruction from subject matter experts on a variety of nuclear weapon topics, according to the release. Classroom instruction is reinforced with site visits across the NSE, a variety of DOD facilities and historical sites. During their time in the program, WIP participants also complete class projects, such as weapon system program reviews, and a final capstone project, in which they are embedded in a working group. Those returning to SRS provide insight into nuclear weapon production and leverage established connections to support the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility and Savannah River Tritium Enterprise  missions.

“The Weapon Intern Program represents the culmination of decades of information that will benefit and accelerate the mission here at the SRPPF while providing the opportunity to forge lasting relationships throughout the NSE,” said Sloan in the release. “Successfully completing this program will allow me to then return to PPOP and provide support to the team.”

Sloan will begin the program Sept. 15, and said he is looking forward to gaining a greater understanding of and appreciation for the NSE.

“Acceptance into the Weapon Intern Program is a prestigious honor that is given to a select few SRS candidates each year,” said Lisa Lee, PPOP mission development manager, who coordinates the SRPPF application and selection processes and also helps plan the annual WIP SRS site visit. “WIP candidates exemplify a high degree of professional dedication and personal commitment to the SRTE and SRPPF missions at SRS that support our nation’s nuclear deterrence.”

SRPPF is part of NNSA’s two-site strategy between SRS and Los Alamos National Laboratory to produce plutonium pits at the required rate to meet national security requirements. The two-site approach will provide an effective, responsive and resilient nuclear weapons infrastructure with the flexibility to adapt to shifting requirements and counter future threats.