WASHINGTON - Dr. Charles P. Verdon was sworn in today by Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette as the Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs at the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA). The United States Senate confirmed Dr. Verdon on Sept. 18.

Dr. Verdon will lead NNSA’s mission to maintain a nuclear deterrent that is modern, robust, flexible, resilient, ready, and appropriately tailored to deter 21st century threats and reassure allies.

“Dr. Verdon’s extensive leadership experience in stockpile stewardship makes him an ideal fit for this crucial position,” said Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, DOE Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and NNSA Administrator. “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.”

NNSA’s Defense Programs collaborates closely with the Department of Defense to conduct stewardship activities for the U.S. nuclear stockpile, such as Life Extension Programs that ensure the continued safety, security, and effectiveness of weapons that have reached the end of their original design life.

Prior to this appointment, Dr. Verdon served as the Principal Associate Director of the Weapons and Complex Integration Directorate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He was responsible for the management and coordination of all weapons program activities at the DOE/NNSA National Laboratory in Livermore, California.

Dr. Verdon is an award-winning plasma physicist and a member of the American Physical Society, which selected him as a fellow in 1997. He holds a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the University of Arizona.