Vice President, Strategic Initiative
John Benner is the vice president of Strategic Initiatives for Consolidated Nuclear Security, the management and operating contractor for the Y‑12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. In this role, he provides strategic leadership and expert counsel to help advance CNS’s vision, priorities, and long‑term initiatives. Benner plays a key role in ensuring Y‑12 continues to deliver a safe, secure, and reliable nuclear deterrent, while supporting the modernization of our infrastructure and capabilities.
Benner has held several senior leadership positions, including associate director of Weapon Engineering and Experiments and division leader of Weapons Systems Engineering at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he led all weapons engineering, explosive science, testing activities, weapons modernization efforts, and stockpile systems support.
He also served as project director and lead systems engineer for the W76‑1 LEP at LANL, vice president and chief operating officer at the Nevada National Security Site, senior technical advisor to the NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs, and associate laboratory director for Weapons Production at LANL, where the First Production Unit plutonium pit for the W87‑1 achieved diamond stamp certification under his leadership.
Most recently, Benner served as a senior leader within the Department of War at Navy Strategic Systems Programs, where he led the Navy’s nuclear warhead management activities as reentry systems branch head.
He holds a M.S. in mechanical engineering and a B.S. in aerospace engineering from West Virginia University.