James Dawkins has been appointed executive vice president and National Nuclear Security Administration chief operations officer at Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the executive shared on LinkedIn Saturday.
In his new dual role, Dawkins will oversee the management and operating functions of NNSA missions and programs at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site. This includes the Tritium operations, the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility and the Surplus Plutonium Disposition Project located in the K Area.
Prior to joining SRNS, Dawkins was the VP of nuclear operations for the nuclear and environmental group at Huntington Ingalls Industries. In this role, he supervised the project leadership teams for NNSA national laboratories, production plants and test sites, and the DOE’s legacy cleanup sites.
Dawkins served in various leadership roles in the U.S. Air Force, including commander of the Eighth Air Force and Joint Global Strike Operations Center, director of Global Power Programs for the Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Global Power and deputy chief of staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration.
His career also includes serving as the deputy director of Nuclear, Homeland Defense and Current Operations for the Joint Staff, director of Strategic Capabilities Policy for the National Security Council and principal assistant deputy administrator for military application for the NNSA and DOE.
