A Santa Barbara laboratory that helps safeguard America’s nuclear arsenal mishandled classified information in a security failure that received the Department of Energy’s highest severity rating. Its operator now faces a $196,350 federal penalty.
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) issued a Preliminary Notice of Violation October 16 to Mission Support and Test Services, LLC, which manages and operates the Special Technologies Laboratory on Ekwill Street.
One finding received a Severity Level I designation, reserved for violations involving actual harm or a high potential for harm to national security. Investigators also identified two Level II violations and one Level III violation. Officials have not publicly identified the information involved or confirmed whether anyone accessed it without authorization…