The Office of National Laboratories (ONL) uses laboratory technologies and science-based solutions to support DHS and strengthen the national homeland security mission.

Leveraging Laboratory Technologies and Science-Based Solutions for Stronger Homeland Security

ONL incorporates Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory capabilities relevant to the homeland security community with our own DHS laboratory capabilities. This allows us to adapt and scale the right technologies to mission requirements and inform investment decisions. Examples of homeland security research conducted through ONL lab coordination and partnership include:

• Critical infrastructure/protection analysis
• Radiological and nuclear countermeasures
• Chemical, biological, and nuclear forensics
• Multi-scale modeling and simulation
• Explosives detection and mitigation
• Test and evaluation for first responder technologies
• FAD research, diagnostics, and training
• Cybersecurity research
• Biodefense countermeasures, bio-detection capability, and preparedness

Our five DHS Laboratories provide specialized technical expertise and world-class research facilities to DHS and other partners. These facilities support a diverse portfolio of capabilities to serve all of DHS and the extended homeland security community:

• Chemical Security Analysis Center (CSAC) — Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
• National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) — Fort Detrick, MD
• National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) — New York, NY
• Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) — Orient Point, NY
• Transportation Security Laboratory (TSL) — Atlantic City, NJ
• The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, KS, is a future DHS Laboratory Complex Facility.

The DOE National Laboratories contribute a rich arsenal of facilities, experts and capabilities that actively support the homeland security community:

• Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) — Lemont, IL
• Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) — Upton, NY
• Idaho National Laboratory (INL) — Idaho Falls, ID
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) — Berkeley, CA
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) — Livermore, CA
• Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) — Los Alamos, NM
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) — Golden, CO
• Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) — Nye County, NV
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) — Oak Ridge, TN
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) — Richland, WA
• Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) — Albuquerque, NM (also w/facilities in Livermore, CA)
• Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) — Aiken, SC
• Y–12 National Security Complex (Y12) — Oak Ridge, TN

Upgrading Infrastructure to Remain on the Cutting Edge

ONL manages an aggressive infrastructure upgrade and construction program to satisfy continued and emergent DHS mission needs and to keep pace with anticipated demands for innovation:

The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), currently under construction, will be a state-of-the -art biosafety level A(BSL) 3 and 4 facility that will enable researchers to conduct comprehensive research, develop vaccines and anti-virals, and provide enhanced diagnostic capabilities to protect our country from numerous foreign animal and emerging diseases. As a replacement to the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC), NBAF will provide additional capabilities not currently available in the United States, including BSL-4 space for livestock and a vaccine development. NBAF joins the National Biodefense and Analysis Countermeasures Center (NBACC) as the second laboratory constructed by DHS.

The new Transportation Security Laboratory (TSL) Independent Test and Evaluation (IT&E) Facility provides the ideal space to meet demands born of new and increasingly complex threats and technologies. The building provides for fully isolated and safe IT&E certification capabilities of next-generation detection devices for commercial, military, international and homemade explosives threats.

The Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) Sustainment Plan addresses the highest priority infrastructure requirements needed to ensure that current research on foreign animal diseases (FAD) continues uninterrupted, safely and in compliance with regulatory standards. More broadly, it is meant to ensure that DHS and its partners remain capable of protecting the U.S. food supply and America’s public health. ONL continues to support these broad strategic goals by ensuring PIADC facilities maintain the ability to detect, diagnose and research FADs; license vaccines and develop open countermeasures and offer training. In 2014, ONL began construction of the replacement Wastewater Thermal Decontamination System, a new BSL-3 enhancement facility capable of decontaminating 65,000 gallons of raw sewage and animal waste per day using extreme heat and pressure for secure disposal.