March 1, 2006

General Barry McCaffrey Tours the NSLS

During a visit to BNL on March 1, Barry McCaffrey, a retired four-star general from the U.S. Army, toured the NSLS.

McCaffrey came to BNL with a view to using his specialized experience to help the Laboratory focus on ideas to increase its sponsorship in areas related to homeland security and the understanding and treatment of drug addiction.

From left, General Barry McCaffrey, Ralph James (BNL-EENS), Gabriella Carini (BNL-EENS), Peter Siddons (BNL-NSLS), and Alexey Bolotnikov (BNL-EENS).

At the NSLS, he was guided on a tour of the beamline floor by NSLS scientist Peter Siddons, who explained how the facility works and gave an overview of the science done here. McCaffrey expressed interest in the range of scientific research that is performed at the NSLS, the type of users who come here (academic, industry, etc.), and how the NSLS facility is organized.

McCaffrey's visit also included tours of the Positron Emission Tomography imaging facility, the Radiation Detector Testing and Evaluation Facility, and labs developing nuclear-detector instrumentation. This gave him first-hand contact with several BNL scientists and an opportunity to learn more about some of the Lab's research and development programs.

McCaffrey, who served as the Commander in-Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces Southern Command, coordinating all national security operations in Latin America, also served as the Director for Strategic Plans and Policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In addition, he followed this distinguished record by serving as Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President Bill Clinton, 1996-2001.