The Nanos Years
2003-2005

Retired Vice Admiral George P. "Pete" Nanos, was named Interim Director of Los Alamos National Laboratory, in January 2003. He most recently served as principal deputy associate director for Los Alamos National Laboratory's Threat Reduction Directorate. Joining the Laboratory staff in August 2002, Nanos shared responsibility in supervising the Directorate's three divisions: Biosciences, Decisions Applications, and Nonproliferation and International Security. He also interacted extensively with the sponsors and stakeholders of Threat Reduction, including the Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, and the departments of Defense, State and Justice.

Nanos came to the
Laboratory from a
position as Commander, Naval
Sea Systems

Command in the U.S. Navy. Prior to that, he commanded the Navy's strategic nuclear program.

Nanos' naval career began in 1967 and included management of the technical development effort for the Navy's high-energy laser program, especially for field-testing and risk-reduction experiments for the mid-infrared chemical laser. He later became deputy director of warfare systems engineering in the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. He guided completion of the submarine inertial navigation system to support deployment of the Trident II weapons system, and in 1994 he became Commander, Strategic System Programs. There he was accountable for design, development and performance of the submarine-based strategic missile systems for the United States and United Kingdom. Immediately before joining Los Alamos, he had oversight for the operations of 10 defense laboratory divisions with over 20,000 employees. Nanos was a Trident Scholar at the U.S. Naval Academy, receiving a bachelor's degree in engineering in 1967. He received a doctorate in physics from Princeton University in 1974.

A native of Bedford, New Hampshire, Nanos wears the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (2 awards), the Meritorious Service Medal (5 awards), and the Navy Achievement Medal. He is married to the former Joanne Louise Knowles of Key West, Florida. They have a son, George, a lieutenant in the Navy Medical Corps.