Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Director Kim Budil today announced that the 2026 John S. Foster Jr. Medal is awarded to Richard L. Wagner Jr., a physicist whose career has shaped U.S. nuclear deterrence, from weapon design and underground testing to arms control, missile defense and counterterrorism policy.
The 11th recipient of the prestigious Foster Medal, Wagner is recognized for more than six decades of leadership and trusted counsel across the national laboratories, the Department of Defense and the broader national security community. He will be honored at a ceremony in Livermore this fall.
"This is a well-deserved recognition of the many outstanding contributions of Rich Wagner to the nuclear deterrence community and beyond," Budil said. "For more than 60 years, he has been both a trusted technical expert and counselor on national security, truly embodying the characteristics that we honor with the Foster Medal."
A career built at Livermore
Wagner joined LLNL in 1963, just as nuclear testing shifted underground, and spent 18 years at the Laboratory rising through its technical and leadership ranks. He led B Division, later serving as associate director for testing, and played a significant leadership role in Operation Morning Light, the joint U.S.-Canadian emergency response to the January 1978 crash of the nuclear-powered Soviet satellite Cosmos 954. His work also extended to missile defense, nuclear weapon effects, where he led a tri-laboratory working group, and treaty verification support. He capped his time at the Laboratory as LLNL's deputy director.
Beyond the Lab, Wagner became an early and influential voice in defense policy circles, serving on the U.S. Strategic Command Strategic Advisory Group from 1971 to 1978 and contributing significantly to the 1980 Department of Defense/Department of Energy Long-Range Resource Planning Study - work that helped inform decisions to strengthen the nation's nuclear posture in the years that followed.
From the Pentagon to trusted adviser
In 1981, President Ronald Reagan selected Wagner as assistant to the secretary of defense for atomic energy, a Senate-confirmed post in which he oversaw the department's nuclear weapons and nuclear energy programs, its chemical and biological defense efforts and its interface with the Department of Energy's weapons program. In connection with that appointment, he also served as chairman of the Military Liaison Committee. In these roles, he guided a major era of nuclear force modernization and pioneered the use of scenario-based "path gaming" exercises to explore deterrence dynamics with the Soviet Union.
After leaving government in 1987, Wagner joined Kaman Sciences before returning to the national laboratory system in 1996 as a senior Washington representative for Los Alamos National Laboratory. Over the following three decades, he became one of the most sought-after voices in the national security community, contributing to the Defense Science Board, serving as a founding member of the Threat Reduction Advisory Committee and rejoining the U.S. Strategic Command Strategic Advisory Group, where he served from 1996 to 2013 and continued advising through 2024, including on the Stockpile Assessment Team. He also played a leadership role in the decade-long European Conflict Analyses Project examining NATO deterrence issues, and following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, supported the creation of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office and led a foundation-funded working group focused on countering nuclear terrorism.
National and international recognition
His contributions were recognized in 2012 with the Department of Defense's Eugene G. Fubini Award for sustained advisory contributions to the department, and in 2013 with the DOD Distinguished Public Service Award. In 1992, the French government named Wagner a Commandeur de l'Ordre National du Mérite, honoring his distinguished public service.
"Throughout his career, Rich has been known not for seeking recognition, but for getting to the heart of the hardest problems and working them through with rigor and integrity," Budil said. "That combination of technical excellence and sustained leadership is exactly what the Foster Medal was created to honor."
The John S. Foster Jr. Medal, administered by Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC, was established to honor individuals who embody the qualities that distinguished John S. Foster Jr. throughout his career: a strong national security focus, inspiring leadership, integrity and scientific innovation. The award also recognizes those who foster teamwork and openness in advancing national security science.
Each year, the LLNL director bestows the Foster Medal upon a deserving recipient, who receives a citation, a gold medal bearing Foster's likeness and a $25,000 cash award. Past honorees include leaders in nuclear security, defense policy and arms control whose contributions have strengthened the nation's security and advanced science in the public interest.
