2008 PONI Summer Conference - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory hosted the 2008 PONI Summer Conference on June 19-20. The conference drew attendees from across the country and nuclear weapons enterprise, with strong representation from the three nuclear weapons laboratories. The conference featured four panels of presenters, who delivered talks clustered around the following themes: nuclear infrastructure, nuclear terrorism, nonproliferation, and assurance and deterrence dynamics. Breakout sessions involving all participants addressed the issue of maintaining nuclear weapons competence, particularly within the scientific base. Several LLNL key leaders served as special guest speakers, including Laboratory Director Dr. George Miller, who opened the conference with welcoming remarks; Dr. Bruce Goodwin, Principal Associate Director, Weapons and Complex Integration, who addressed attendees over lunch on day one; and Dr. Ronald Lehman, Director of the Center for Global Security Research, who delivered the keynote address at the evening dinner. The event also featured a special ceremony honoring a highly valued long-time PONI supporter, Mr. Robin Pitman, former Head of Nuclear and Strategic Defence at the UK Embassy in the United States. The conference concluded with participants touring the LLNL National Ignition Facility, the world’s largest and most powerful inertial confinement fusion device.