Department of Energy September 10, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Energy (DOE or Department) is amending its regulations governing the standards for medical, physical performance, training, and access authorizations for protective force (PF) personnel employed by contractors providing security services to the Department. Since the publication of the existing regulations in 1984, and particularly since 9/11, the DOE has totally transformed its approach to dealing with a much-evolved terrorist threat. This transformation has been informed by repeated analysis and testing since 9/11. The primary changes are: a move to more sophisticated weapons and detection and targeting systems, an increased reliance on hardened positions and armored response vehicles, and increased use of barriers to channel adversaries. The result is a defensive strategy designed to take full advantage of the fact that the terrorist must fight through the protective force to reach our SNM and other targets. This contrasts directly with the posture in the 1980s and 1990s. Today we expect the terrorist to fight his way through a pre-positioned, layered defense, which places a premium on operating sophisticated weapons and detection and tracking systems. The proposed revisions bring DOE protective force firearms qualification, training, medical and physical readiness requirements in line with these tactical and organizational priorities of 2013. It removes barriers to maintaining the desired experience levels of our protective forces while maintaining established qualification standards. The revised regulations: emphasize firearms training and proficiency testing that reflect current military practice and simulations technology, maximizing training time and decreasing cost; implements the Mission Essential Task List (METL) training framework adapted from the military, which allows for more effective use of training resources by aligning them with validated mission performance priorities, eliminate medical disqualifications for conditions which have become completely treatable since the 1980s, refines a physical readiness testing regimen that currently diverts time and training emphasis from tasks more directly supportive of mission success; and above all, encourage protective force personnel to stay sharp and mission-focused. Furthermore, this shift in emphasis has placed a greater premium upon the retention of mature, tactically experienced, and technically sophisticated personnel, particularly since these personnel represent a considerable investment by DOE in security background investigations and training. The revisions bring DOE PF medical and physical readiness requirements in line with these tactical and organizational priorities. The revisions reduce the exposure of the PF population to injuries related to physical readiness testing. The revisions further ensure that PF personnel are evaluated on a case-by- case basis on their ability to perform the essential functions of their positions without posing a direct threat to themselves or site personnel, the facility, or the general public. The revisions further ensure that reasonable accommodations are considered before a determination is made that an individual cannot perform the essential functions of a particular position. The rule also provides for new medical review processes for PF personnel disqualified from medical certification. The rule ensures that DOE PF medical and physical readiness requirements are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, as amended by the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2009 (ADAAA), the Privacy Act and DOE implementing regulations, and changes in DOE policy regarding PF operations made since the publication of the last version of this rule. Finally, the revision updates the regulation to reflect organizational changes in the Office of Health, Safety and Security and the creation of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) as a semi- autonomous agency within the Department of Energy.