ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — W.J. “Jack” Howard, a former Sandia National Laboratories executive vice president who became a valued national adviser on U.S. nuclear policy and was an advocate for nuclear weapons safety and control, has become the third Sandian to be inducted into the Laboratories’ Hall of Fame. The honor recognizes former employees who made pivotal contributions that have significantly enhanced Sandia.
During his 36-year career, Howard, 87, of Albuquerque, was responsible for the early recognition that U.S. nuclear weapons needed built-in controls to prevent unauthorized or inadvertent arming. He also participated in early nuclear weapons tests, established the first independent nuclear safety assessment group at Sandia and was the first director of Sandia’s site in Livermore, Calif.
Colleagues say Howard, who retired in 1982 after serving nine years as executive vice president, was a key executive in the Labs’ 60-year history and an excellent steward of the Laboratories. They describe him as a man of few carefully selected words who could motivate and mentor employees to make sure jobs got done right.
“He was a forward-looking person in a very pragmatic sense,” said Orval Jones, a former executive vice president at Sandia who first worked with Howard in 1973. “Jack saw the need to really aggressively pursue nuclear weapons safety.”
Howard, who was nominated for the Hall of Fame by Sandia Vice President Steve Rottler, will be the third inductee after former Vice President Glenn Fowler and Executive Vice President Robert Henderson. A bronze bas-relief plaque of Howard’s likeness will grace an entrance lobby at Sandia.
Prior to joining Sandia, Howard graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from what is now New Mexico State University and served in World War II. Howard survived a mountain airplane crash that killed the pilot by hiking for six days with a shattered kneecap until he found help.
In 1946, Howard joined the Z Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory, which is now Sandia Labs, when he was in his mid-20s. Howard recalled in a recent interview shooting rattle snakes and eating lunch outdoors next to a bubbling spring in Coyote Canyon in those early days. He eventually became manager of the explosive tests there.
Over the years, Howard racked up a notable list of achievements in weapons work at Sandia. He directed the ordnance engineering design and development of the first Polaris missile warhead, which led to Sandia receiving a Certificate of Merit from the U.S. Navy. And he was the motivating force behind the concept of the nuclear warhead and delivery system, which led to what is known as the “Davy Crockett” infantry weapon system. The system was designed for use by the U.S. infantry in Europe against Soviet troops during the Cold War.
But safety and control of nuclear weapons also mattered to Howard. To prevent unauthorized detonation of nuclear weapons, Howard recognized early the need for built-in control of the arming sequence of U.S. nuclear weapons. He participated in preliminary design of the Permissive Action Link (PAL) system that resulted. The PAL system is a coded switch inside a nuclear weapon that blocks the arming signal and requires an order from the president to pass through the proper channels to the officer-in-charge, who then would enter the code.
Howard was instrumental in establishing an independent nuclear safety assessment group at Sandia in 1969. The group oversaw an ongoing safety review of existing nuclear weapons, developed new safety technologies and developed techniques for evaluating evolving safety concepts.
Perhaps Howard’s most visible achievement to the public is Sandia/California’s site in Livermore. Howard was assigned in 1956 to inaugurate the new Laboratory to provide ordnance engineering support to what is now known as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Howard recalled initially being located in dilapidated barracks, but a year later his employees moved to a new building.
Since Sandia/California was new, it had to be bold and innovative. But Howard said he was directed by a superior to “sing from the same sheet of music” with colleagues at Lawrence Livermore. “I said, ‘Yes sir, but you’ve got to recognize there’s a heavy metal group just across the street,’” he said. Sandia/California has grown from that small initial group to about 1,100 employees today.
Howard also was appointed to national positions, including serving as a delegate to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1976. He became a valued adviser in formulating and guiding the implementation of national nuclear policy.
From 1963-1966, he served as assistant to the secretary of defense for atomic energy at the Department of Defense and was the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission’s Military Liaison Committee. During this time, he assisted with ballistics support to locate a missing nuclear weapon near Palomares, Spain, after the collision of a B-52 and tanker aircraft during a refueling operation.
Defense Secretary Robert McNamara awarded Howard the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service for his work.