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What are Capability Pillars, Anyways?

How Los Alamos National Laboratory remains a research and development leader

The Lab's annual Capability Reviews provide a way to get honest, detailed feedback from outside experts on whether our R&D remains world class and mission focused.

So what, exactly, are Capability Reviews and why do they matter? And how are they related to the Capability Pillars and Lab Agenda?

Each year, the Lab convenes panels of external experts — prominent figures from academia, industry and our sister labs — to evaluate our strategy and the quality of our Capability Pillar R&D. Over several days, each panel:

  • Gets a crash course on the Lab's progress in the given pillar.
  • Reviews technical work and strategy.
  • Discusses issues with staff.
  • Asks lots of questions.

Each review wraps with a formal outbrief, where the panel members give recommendations and feedback about the Lab's progress and strategic direction in that pillar.

6 Laboratory pillars 

The Lab's line organizations bring people with similar skills and backgrounds under one management structure. But what about enduring capabilities that cross lots of disciplines and sometimes even directorates? That's where Capability Pillars come in.

The Lab has six Capability Pillars

  • Complex Natural and Engineered Systems
  • Information Science and Technology
  • Materials for the Future
  • Nuclear and Particle Futures
  • Science of Signatures
  • Weapons Systems

Each one aims to steward, develop and integrate R&D across the Laboratory so that we can tackle tough national challenges. They work in tandem with our Lab Agenda.

Pillars aren't owned by any one division or directorate; instead, they draw on expertise from across the Lab to encourage the creative, cross-disciplinary collaborations that national labs are known for. Pillars are dynamic, too; they can be retired when no longer relevant or created in response to new federal priorities and emerging research.

Why does this matter? 

Pillars and their reviews matter because they shape the Lab's future. The panels' feedback can:

  • Spur the Laboratory to invest in emerging R&D or specific equipment.
  • Identify R&D gaps or fields where competitors might be outpacing us.
  • Launch collaborations between teams that might not otherwise intersect.
  • Redirect funding to areas that need more support. 
"For decades, peer review has been the scientific community's standard mechanism for determining merit... Capability Reviews aren't just assessments; they're strategic, shared conversations that help Los Alamos National Laboratory identify our strengths and areas for growth."
--Deputy Laboratory Director for Science, Technology and Engineering Pat Fitch.

Additionally, feedback from the Capability Reviews filters up to the Lab's operator, Triad National Security, and on to the National Nuclear Security Administration as a factor for evaluating our performance for the year.

3 fast facts

  • The Lab has done external peer review since the 1970s, though the current approach to Capability Reviews didn't start until about 20 years ago.
  • Weapons Systems and Complex Natural and Engineered Systems are the newest pillars, established about five years ago to emphasize "systems thinking" at the Lab.
  • Engineering was once a separate pillar. In 2024, it was retired because it already underpins so much of the Lab's mission and contributes to every pillar. (There are about 3,500 engineers at the Lab.)