The Energy Department has made some progress in its continuity of operations planning since a 2011 report critical of that effort but weaknesses remain, the IG there has said.
Because the department is responsible for highly critical and sensitive activities such as designing, producing and maintaining nuclear weapons, “it is imperative that it is able to perform these essential functions across a broad spectrum of events, including emergencies related to natural disasters and pandemics,” a report said.
“Department officials at headquarters program and field offices stated that constraints in resources and the lack of priority placed on the COOP program led to the continued weaknesses we identified. We also noted a lack of coordination and collaboration among headquarters staff offices in developing a pandemic plan for headquarters. Department elements and contractors that have not yet developed a COOP plan or whose plans are outdated or incomplete could hinder the department’s ability to meet its mission essential functions related to national security during a continuity event,” it said.
The department noted that it has recently hired a new continuity program manager and said that it will reemphasize COOP requirements and expectations and encourage program and field element managers to ensure that their plans are current and meet requirements.
