Charles P. Verdon is the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) new Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs.
Verdon, who was recently sworn to duty by Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette, will lead NNSA’s mission to maintain a nuclear deterrent that is modern, robust, flexible, resilient, ready and tailored to deter 21st-century threats and reassure allies.
The NNSA’s Defense Programs collaborate closely with the Department of Defense to conduct stewardship activities for the nation’s nuclear stockpile,
such as Life Extension Programs ensuring continued safety, security and effectiveness of weapons reaching the end of their original design life.
“Dr. Verdon’s extensive leadership experience in stockpile stewardship makes him an ideal fit for this crucial position,” Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, Department of Energy undersecretary for Nuclear Security and NNSA administrator, said “His expert knowledge of modeling nuclear weapons performance will be a tremendous asset to our team, and under his leadership of Defense Programs, the U.S. nuclear arsenal will remain second to none.”
Before accepting his NNSA role, Verdon served as the Principal Associate Director of the Weapons and Complex Integration Directorate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, responsible for the management and coordination of all weapons program activities at the DOE/NNSA National Laboratory in Livermore, California.