Knoxville News Sentinel/Frank Munger's "Atomic CIty Underground":

A bad mix: alcohol and nuke couriers

One of true high-security jobs in America is transporting nuclear weapons parts and special nuclear materials around the nation, and it's obviously a job that doesn't mix well with alcohol. That's why the Department of Energy's Office of Inspector General recently took a look at allegations of alcohol abuse by Special Agents who transport the nuclear cargoes and related issues.

While investigators were unable to confirm some of the allegations -- such as violations of the Human Reliability Program not being reported or otherwise being administered inconsistently or unfairly -- they did substantiate 16 alcohol-related incidents from 2007 through 2009. The incidents involved Agents, Agent Candidates or other personnel in the Office of Secure Transportation, which runs the government's weapons transportation program.

Although the alcohol incidents were relatively infrequent, the IG report concluded that
they "indicate a potential vulnerability in OST's critical national security mission."
The report noted, "While OST appeared to have been proactive in addressing the use of alcohol, concerns expressed by some OST managers and the number of alcohol-related incidents occurring over the last three years suggests that further action may be needed."

The letter report, titled, "Inspection of Allegations Relating to Irregularities in the Human Reliability Program and Alcohol Abuse within the Office of Secure Transportation," is available here.

Here's an excerpt from the report:

"To put this situation in some perspective, the 16 alcohol-related incidents experienced by OST from 2007 through 2009 were from a total population of approximately 597 OST Agents, Agent Candidates (at the OST training facility in Fort Chaffee, Arkansas) and other personnel. Of the 16 incidents, 2 were of the greatest concern because they occurred during secure transportation missions while the Agents were in Rest Overnight Status, which occurs during extended missions where convoy vehicles are placed in a safe harbor and Agents check into local area hotels. In 2007, an Agent was arrested for public intoxication, and, in 2009, two Agents were handcuffed and temporarily detained by police officers after an incident at a local bar."

The inspectors found that OST management took what appeared to be appropriate action in these cases, but the situation still indicated a potential vulnerability.

A regional hub for the Office of Secure Transportation is based in Oak Ridge.