In a ceremony held recently at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Michael R. Anastasio was presented with the 2025 John S. Foster Jr. Medal, recognizing a distinguished career spanning more than four decades of service to national security. Anastasio, the only person ever to lead both LLNL and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), was celebrated for his scientific achievements, his leadership across the Nuclear Security Enterprise and his lifelong commitment to public service. He is the 10th recipient of the prestigious honor, which commemorates individuals who embody the values and vision of former LLNL Director John S. "Johnny" Foster Jr.
"We're proud to celebrate Mike's outstanding service and his lasting impact on our national security," said LLNL Director Kimberly Budil, who presented the medal. "He is known for his technical excellence, integrity and mentorship. He has shaped generations of scientists and leaders through his example and his deep commitment to the mission."
Budil also reflected on the loss earlier this year of Johnny Foster, noting that this was the first medal ceremony since his passing at age 102. "While we feel his absence deeply," she said, "today's ceremony is one of the many ways we honor his legacy and the leaders who embody his spirit."
Colleagues and past honorees gathered to celebrate Anastasio's achievements, including several previous Foster Medal recipients who offered reflections on his enduring influence and contributions to national security.
Values-based leadership and stewardship science
In remarks at the event, former LLNL Director Bruce Tarter and others credited Anastasio for his pivotal role in helping establish the science-based Stockpile Stewardship Program alongside Department of Energy leader Vic Reis in the 1990s. The program became the foundation for sustaining the U.S. nuclear deterrent without underground testing.
"Mike showed that this wasn't a black-and-white issue," Tarter said. "He helped the nation think about testing and stewardship in shades of gray, with technical trade-offs and hard realities to manage. Mike showed that stewardship wasn't about ideology, but about disciplined, evidence-based science."
Former LLNL Director George Miller recalled Anastasio's evolution from physicist to leader, crediting him with helping develop the Quantification of Margins and Uncertainties (QMU) framework and with codifying LLNL's institutional values.
"Mike helped create a methodology for understanding how much risk we might be taking and how to prioritize investments," Miller said. "He also insisted that we write down our laboratory values, a lasting guide as the Lab transitioned to a new generation."
Among those values were passion for mission; integrity and responsible stewardship of the public trust; personal and collective responsibility for safety and security; balancing innovation with disciplined execution; and teamwork with respect for individual initiative.
Miller described Anastasio's leadership as grounded in purpose. "Mr. Secretary, you don't understand what motivates the labs," he quoted Anastasio as saying during a meeting with DOE leadership. "We're motivated by public service and by the importance of our mission."
Solving complex problems
Retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Larry Welch emphasized Anastasio's analytical rigor and rare leadership qualities. "Our work with Mike extended more than 30 years," Welch said. "In each case, Mike brought a seldom-matched ability to deal with complex problems. He simply insisted on understanding the facts about both the science and the operations."
Welch added, "It's the combination of understanding facts, both technical and operational, and producing mechanisms uniquely viable within leadership of a very complex undertaking."
Retired U.S. Navy Admiral Richard Mies, who served as commander of U.S. Strategic Command and chairs its Strategic Advisory Group, described Anastasio's ongoing influence as chair of STRATCOM's Stockpile Assessment Team. "As director of both Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos labs, Mike built on the achievements of his predecessors and left both as more successful institutions after his term," Mies said.
He continued, "Mike is a national treasure, an extraordinarily gifted and accomplished national security leader, policy formulator and technology expert, who has demonstrated the distinctive, exemplary character traits, keen intellect, technical competence, selfless commitment, resourceful stewardship, accountability, poise, integrity, infectious enthusiasm, innovative thinking and insightful vision-all traits which I believe are embodied in the Foster Award."
Leading through transition
In 2006, Anastasio made the uncommon decision to leave Livermore and lead the University of California/Bechtel team competing for the management contract at Los Alamos. At a time of uncertainty for both laboratories, his leadership helped steady the institution and reinforce the shared purpose of the national security enterprise.
From Los Alamos, former LANL Director Terry Wallace captured the broader significance of that period. "Mike saved Los Alamos and helped heal the national security weapons complex," Wallace said. "From his first all-hands meeting, he made clear that this is about what we can do for the nation."
Former NNSA Administrator Ambassador Linton Brooks emphasized the rarity of Anastasio's achievement in successfully leading both Livermore and Los Alamos. "Mike became the only individual who has successfully led two weapons laboratories," Brooks said. "If John Foster could be with us today, he would be pleased by the recognition of Mike's scientific accomplishments, but I think he would also be proud of Mike's leadership, and so should we all be."
A legacy of mentorship and purpose
In accepting the medal, Anastasio reflected on the colleagues and mentors who shaped his career. "This award is a testament to the remarkable people at Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos. I wouldn't be here without them," Anastasio said.
The event also highlighted Anastasio's long record of mentoring the next generation of scientists and leaders across the national laboratories, a quality cited repeatedly by colleagues who worked alongside him. "I'm still compelled by the challenging world we live in. It requires all the help each of us can give," he said.
Established in 2015, the Foster Medal honors individuals who exemplify leadership, integrity and scientific innovation in the tradition of John S. Foster Jr., former LLNL director and pioneer of the U.S. nuclear deterrent. Recipients receive a gold medal bearing Foster's likeness, a citation and a $25,000 award presented by the LLNL director on behalf of Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC.
The ceremony concluded with a reception celebrating Anastasio's achievements and his lifelong dedication to science in the national interest.
