Honoring our veterans: Meet PLS’s James Jones

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) holds a quarterly Veterans Showcase to spotlight the work our veterans did while serving the nation and the work they continue to do in their Laboratory careers. The showcase held on November 9, 2022, highlighted the accomplishments of third-generation military veteran James Jones, who after joining the army at the age of 17, retired after 28 years of service.  

Jones began working at the Laboratory in 2005 and is currently the deputy assurance manager/directorate security officer for the Physical and Life Sciences (PLS) directorate. His main duties include ensuring PLS’s compliance with internal and external safety and security requirements. His career at LLNL started in the High Explosives Application Facility (HEAF) where he worked for 10 years providing explosives expertise. Jones said, “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get to use my explosives and weapons experience outside of the military.”

Not many people have first-hand combat experience using the technology and weaponry that the Laboratory designs, but Jones does. “When you see the technology being developed here and you have also been the guy on the ground who has benefited from the technology, that is a special thing,” said Jones. “The work being performed here at the Lab means something to the soldiers in the field—each technological development, munition, armor kit, white paper, or formal intelligence report provides a physical and mental layer of security.”

Jones comes from a long line of military excellence and is of African American and Native American descent. The Navajo philosophy of leadership is something that has been entrenched in James from the very beginning and his family’s history of service influenced him to join the military.

At LLNL, Jones strives to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) throughout the workplace and is an active member in the Laboratory’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)—specifically the African American Body of Laboratory Employees, American Indian Activity Group, and Veterans in Energy Technology & Science.

“The Lab is a great place for veterans because of the overlap and commonality of national security missions. The skills we learn in the military—such as discipline, creative and critical thinking, working under pressure, and understanding the significance of safety and security—are needed and valued here at the Lab,” said Jones.