Retired Col. Steve Asher has had a few interesting years on his résumé.
Asher was recently named head of nuclear security for the National Nuclear Security Administration after dozens of years in the Air Force, with a brief detour into big box stores.
Asher retired in 2008 as a colonel and commander of the 341st Security Forces Group at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., according to Mother Jones. He served 33 years in the Air Force, including 10 as a nuclear security expert with the Air Force Office of the Inspector General, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
While at Malmstrom, the 341st failed a nuclear surety inspection, with inspectors finding “minor deficiencies with the way security forces protected the weapons storage area during the inspection,” we reported at the time.
After retiring from the Air Force, Asher became the manager of the Target store in north Spokane, Wash., and was even interviewed by a local TV station for Black Friday deals. In 2012, Asher started work at the National Nuclear Security Administration as a security consultant and this month was named the National Nuclear Security Administration’s acting chief of Defense Nuclear Security/ Associate Administrator for Defense Nuclear Security.
