DOE/LANL Jurisdiction Fire Danger Rating:
Strategic Deterrence T A3
  1. LANL Home
  2. About the Lab

Lab Agenda

Los Alamos National Laboratory plays a vital role in safeguarding the United States and its allies against the world’s most serious threats.

The next two decades will be a critical time for the nation and our allies. Artificial intelligence is transforming science, security, and technology at every level. The US is undertaking the modernization of its strategic forces as the world confronts a three-nuclear-peer environment for the first time. As global challenges evolve, the Laboratory draws on its multidisciplinary expertise—spanning supercomputing, materials science, complex systems, signature science, nuclear and particle physics, weapons design and engineering, and more—to develop innovative solutions that support agile, effective deterrence against nuclear warfare and other emerging dangers. Through meeting these objectives, the Laboratory not only strengthens national security but also drives world-changing discoveries.

Leadership Team

The Leadership Team is fully committed to enabling the Laboratory’s mission while supporting its people, further enhancing the culture, and meeting the strategic imperatives and goals outlined in the Laboratory Agenda.

Back row (left to right): Pablo Prando, LANL general counsel; Srinivas Iyer, ALDCELS; Ed Anderson, executive officer, DDOPS; Nancy Jo Nicholas, ALDGS; Angela Mielke, executive officer, DDSTE; Bob Webster, DDW; David Dooley, ALDWP. Middle row (left to right): Mark Chadwick, ALDSCT; Ellen Cerreta, ALDPS; Unica Viramontes, ALDDP; Mark Davis, DDOPS; Laurie Monfiletto, HR senior director; Kim Scott, executive officer, DDW; Bret Simpkins, ALDFO. Front row (left to right): Pat Fitch, DDSTE; Scott Aeilts, ALDBUS; Frances Chadwick, LANL staff director; Thom Mason, LANL director; Mark Anthony, ALDPI; Charlie Nakhleh, ALDX; Steve Coleman, ALDESHQ.

Meeting the Needs of the Nation

As a federally funded research and development center, the Laboratory’s comprehensive deterrence framework reflects key US priorities across nuclear security, intelligence, defense, nonproliferation, counterterrorism, emergency response, science leadership, energy security, environmental management, and beyond. This strategy is closely aligned with guidance from the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and national policy documents.

Lab Agenda

The Lab Agenda communicates the Laboratory’s enduring mission and strategic imperatives, our institutional goals for FY26, and the values and behaviors that shape our culture. 

Updated annually by the Leadership Team, the Lab agenda is designed to:

  • Align Lab initiatives with national strategic priorities
  • Foster collaboration across organizations
  • Inform decisions—from institutional investments to organizational plans and individual goals
  • Drive shared accountability and continuous improvement

The Lab Agenda is just one piece of the Laboratory’s broader portfolio of institutional strategies. As such, it is not intended to capture all of the Laboratory’s priorities or encompass all areas of the Laboratory’s work.

Mission

To solve national security challenges through simultaneous excellence.

Vision

To be trusted by our nation, emulated by our peers, and respected by the world.

Culture

How we do our work is as important as what we do.

Strategic Imperatives

Los Alamos National Laboratory has four strategic imperatives that guide mission delivery: nuclear deterrence, threat reduction, technical leadership, and trustworthy operations.

Nuclear Deterrence

Lead the nation in evaluating, developing, and ensuring the effectiveness of our nuclear deterrent, including the design, production, and certification of current and future nuclear weapons.

Threat Reduction

Anticipate persistent and emerging threats to global security in all domains; develop and deploy revolutionary tools to detect, deter, and respond proactively.

Technical Leadership

Deliver scientific discoveries and technical breakthroughs to advance relevant research frontiers and anticipate emerging national security risks.

Trustworthy Operations

Consistently demonstrate and be recognized by stakeholders for trusted and trustworthy operations.

Institutional Goals

The Laboratory’s institutional goals focus on key challenges and opportunities that require immediate, cross-organizational collaboration to align scientific and technical opportunities with national security needs. Each goal supports two or more strategic imperatives and is designed to drive significant progress through focused investments and actions.

Excellence and continuous improvement in foundational and enduring functions—from safety and security to facilities management, business systems, human resources, and community partnerships—are essential for the success of each goal.

For FY26, the Laboratory will prioritize five institutional goals: 

 

  • Agile Manufacturing

    Accelerate and mature capabilities for developing tooling, design concepts, weapon-component materials, and production processes to enable agile prototyping and small-lot production.

  • AI Reasoning

    Harness artificial intelligence (AI) reasoning and computation to rapidly increase the pace of discovery, develop new technologies, and transform the way the Laboratory solves national security challenges.

  • Experimental Capabilities

    Modernize key capabilities to advance accelerator science, explosives formulations, and materials manufacturing to support weapons performance and Nuclear Security Enterprise needs.

  • Production Systems

    Mature the Laboratory’s production and business systems to achieve and sustain a high level of operational performance, control, and quality performance across all of the Laboratory’s production missions.

  • Strategic Deterrence

    Develop the evidence-based analytic capability needed to inform the emerging national debate on how to structure a modern, dynamic, flexible, and comprehensive deterrent.

Values

The Laboratory achieves its national security mission through a culture in which how we do our work is as important as what we do. This culture is embodied in our institutional values and behaviors. 

Service

Serving our nation, our partners, our community, and each other.

Integrity

Demonstrating honesty, ethical conduct, accountable stewardship, and individual responsibility.

Teamwork

Achieving our best by respecting different opinions and backgrounds, exploring alternatives, and collaborating with colleagues and partners.

Excellence

Ensuring safe and secure mission delivery in nuclear security; science, technology, and engineering; operations; and community relations.

Behaviors

 

Collaborative problem solving

Continuous learning

Shared outcome

Trustworthy

Commitment

Download the Lab Agenda

Download the full Lab AgendaDownload the Snapshot