Naval Reactors (often abbreviated to NR) is an umbrella term for the U.S. government office that has comprehensive responsibility for the continued safe and reliable operation of the United States Navy's nuclear propulsion program and thus for United States Naval reactors. A single entity, it has authority and reporting responsibilities within both the Department of the Navy (NAVSEA, Chief of Naval Operations) and the United States Department of Energy.[1]
Program responsibilities are delineated in Presidential Executive Order 12344 of February 1, 1982, and prescribed by Public Laws 98-525 of October 19, 1984 (42 USC 7158), and 106-65 of October 5, 1999 (50 USC 2406).[2]
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Soon after his U.S. Navy service during World War II, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover became an early convert to the idea of nuclear marine propulsion. Assigned to the Bureau of Ships in September 1947, Rickover received training in nuclear power at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and worked with the bureau to explore the possibility of nuclear ship propulsion. In February 1949 he received an assignment to the Division of Reactor Development, United States Atomic Energy Commission and then assumed control of the Navy's effort as Director of the Naval Reactors Branch in the Bureau of Ships.
As noted above, the office was originally a joint activity of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Ships. When the AEC was abolished, Naval Reactors became a joint effort of the Navy and the Energy Research and Development Administration, which partly replaced the AEC. In 1977, ERDA was combined with the Federal Energy Administration to form the US Department of Energy. On the Navy side of the organization, the Bureau of Ships has given way since the 1950s to the Naval Sea Systems Command, within which NR is Code 08, usually abbreviated NAVSEA 08.
Within seven years of its inception, the organization that developed out of this concept would put into operation the nation's first power reactor (the Nautilus prototype). The following four years would see three more nuclear submarines and two reactor plant prototypes operating and another seven ships and two prototypes being built. To date, more reactors have been built and safely operated by the NR program than any other U.S. program.
Hyman G. Rickover parleyed an impressive personal publicity effort and intensive links with the United States Congress into an unprecedented tenure situation as head of Naval Reactors whereby he could not be relieved by conventional military procedures. He was promoted successively, partially as a result of Congressional involvement, until he reached the rank of full Admiral and held the position for over thirty years from 1949 to February 1, 1982. Due to the unique dual DOD/DOE superiors of the position, succeeding Directors of Naval Reactors (NAVSEA 08) were given extended tour lengths (eight years) as well.
The Director of Naval Reactors also serves as a Deputy Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration.[2]
| Start | End | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 1949 | Feb 1, 1982 | Admiral Hyman G. Rickover |
| Feb 1, 1982 | Oct 22, 1988 | Admiral Kinnaird R. McKee |
| Oct 22, 1988 | Sept 27, 1996 | Admiral Bruce DeMars |
| Sept 27, 1996 | Nov 5, 2004 | Admiral Frank "Skip" Bowman |
| Nov 5, 2004 | Present | Admiral Kirkland H. Donald |
Many books (including those referenced below) and articles have been written about core NR management principles such as attention to detail and adherence to rigidly-defined standards and specifications, as well as the organization's unique (for government) personnel practices. NR staff and alumni (including Admiral Rickover himself) have often been called by Congress, the President and other government agencies to provide expert opinion and management support to other important government programs, most notably the large scale reviews following the destruction of the Space Shuttles Columbia and Challenger. NR alumni have also founded or led numerous corporate and industrial organizations, for example MPR Associates, Inc. [1], founded by three of Admiral Rickover's leading technical managers in NR's early days.
NR originally recruited the majority of its personnel from three sources: the Navy Engineering Duty Officer (EDO) community, other government technology programs and the submarine force. At that time, these selectees from other agencies and programs comprised the "cream" of the available crop. These personnel had been highly successful in their respective fields, whether in naval engineering and construction, in atomic energy laboratories or in submarines. NR attempted to "skim the cream" from those already competitive sources. In addition, it is believed that insight can be gained from evaluating the NR education, training and qualification programs.
However the disadvantages imposed by U.S. submarine commanding officers being engineering specialists as opposed to tacticians (for example such as with the Royal Navy) have received less attention.[3] The extreme focus on nuclear propulsion plant operation and maintenance was well known during Rickover's era as a potential hindrance to balancing operational priorities. One way by which this was addressed after Rickover retired was that only the very strongest, former at-sea submarine commanders have held Rickover's now unique eight-year position as NAVSEA-08, the longest chartered tenure in the U.S. military.[4][5] From Rickover's first replacement, Kinnaird R. McKee, to today's head of Naval Reactors, Kirkland H. Donald, all have held command of nuclear submarines, their squadrons and ocean fleets; not one has been a long-term Engineering Duty Officer such as Rickover.