NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Department of Energy's inspector general blamed significant security failures for an unprecedented intrusion into the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge, including broken detection equipment, a poor response from guards and insufficient federal oversight of private contractors running the complex.
The report, released Friday, noted that on July 28 three peace activists, including an 82-year-old Roman Catholic nun, gained access to a part of the complex directly adjacent to "one of the nation's most critically important and highly secured weapons-related facilities."
The report cited "troubling displays of ineptitude in responding to alarms," by the contracted security force and a failure to repair security equipment, including cameras. But the inspector also noted a lack of oversight by federal officials over the contractors at the site.