Security was determined “excellent” and “good” in Y-12’s performance appraisal last year at a cost of $1.44 million. Yet on July 28, 2012 a 82 year old nun, who gets short of breath easily and two (63 and 57 years old) fellow peace protesters with a pair of bolt cutters were able to gain unimpeded access to the exterior of the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility.  Perish the thought they what they might have been able to accomplish if their motives were different and they carried more than ceremonial hammers, blood and paint.

This is a classic example of the results of our “my paper plan can beat your paper plan” mentality of emergency and disaster preparedness and it reminds me of Hans Christian Andersen’s tale The Emperors’s New Clothes. In this case instead of a vain emperor we have vain program administrators who have been sold an invisible fabric of preparedness under the false belief that contrary views suggesting their preparedness is a joke must be from those unfit for their position or “hopelessly stupid”.   Numerous articles with photos and videos of military-garbed security personnel, firing thousands of rounds per minute out of state of the art machine guns while training at Y-12, now are exposed as security actors.

Across this country are agencies that have bought into this paper-publishing community preparedness theater.  They know that their preparedness is transparent and superficial, but they and their colleagues march forward under false pretenses and are used to exercises designed to pat each other on the back and ignore any deficiencies revealed, let alone correct them.  It ensures continued funding, merit raises and the show continues until real world events expose them for what they are, laughable.

In Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, it takes the innocence of a child to blurt out the Emperor is wearing nothing at all. In the case of Y-12 they had an average age of 67. Instead of the government “throwing the book at them with federal charges”, how about hiring them to test the security at other “impenetrable” facilities.  No doubt there will be no real change out of this, money will be spent and yet another thirty chapters will be added to the already bloated preparedness plan.

Implementable plans are not volumes thick and realistic exercises in many cases can be simple but designed to get people dirty not showcase technology and ensure passing grades.