Our Expertise
Our expertise is built on more than three decades of developing, implementing, and leading national-level safeguards, security, and emergency preparedness programs across the DOE, NRC, DoD, and commercial nuclear sectors. We bring deep, hands-on experience supporting power reactors, ISFSIs, DOE national security sites, classified facilities, fuel cycle operations, and next-generation SMR projects.
Our capabilities span enterprise security program development and planning, protective force operations, physical security and facility design, personnel security and access authorization, information and national industrial security, material control and accounting, international safeguards, training and qualification, and corrective action oversight—delivering solutions that are practical, defensible, and aligned with DOE Orders, NRC 10 CFR Parts 73 & 74, and ISC standards.
ABOUT US
Our Mission & Why SombraSec
Our Mission
At SombraSec Strategies, our mission is to protect the nation’s most sensitive nuclear, classified, and critical infrastructure operations by delivering security programs that are inspection-ready, compliance-driven, and built on real-world experience. We don’t just advise - we deliver security you can trust.
Why SombraSec
SombraSec Strategies brings a level of expertise that few firms can match. We are nuclear security experts who have developed, implemented, and led national-level safeguards, security, and emergency preparedness programs across the DOE, NRC, DoD, and commercial nuclear sectors. Our support is compliant, independent, and grounded in deep experience with SMR deployments, advanced reactors, DOE contractors, federal prime contractors, and critical infrastructure operators.
Clients choose SombraSec because we understand what federal regulators, assessors, and program offices expect - and we deliver strategies that are clear, defensible, and aligned with Executive Orders on nuclear revitalization and regulatory reform.
Our focus is simple: mission success, regulatory confidence, and resilient security programs you can trust.
Founder & Principal Consultant
Daniel Cardenas leads SombraSec Strategies LLC, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business specializing in DOE Safeguards and Security, NRC Security consulting, advanced reactor and SMR licensing support, classified facility protection, and NRC security licensing and compliance. With more than 30 years of federal, regulatory, military, and law-enforcement leadership, he helps nuclear organizations build inspection-ready security programs that reduce regulatory risk, accelerate readiness, and withstand scrutiny.
Daniel Cardenas
Founder & Principal Consultant
True security isn’t about adding barriers - it’s about building confidence, capability, and readiness.
Few nuclear security consultants combine Daniel Cardenas’s experience as a regulator, federal security executive, inspector, law-enforcement leader, and military professional. His career spans the DOE, NRC, DoW, IAEA, and United States Marine Corps.
As DOE’s Director of Safeguards, Security, and Emergency Preparedness, Daniel led a $360 million enterprise program supporting 17 field sites, directed protection of special nuclear material (SNM), classified security programs, and modernized FOCI reviews affecting more than 200 companies.
At the NRC, Daniel conducted Force-on-Force and physical security inspections at more than 45 NRC-licensed U.S. commercial nuclear reactors. As NRC Chief of Security, he oversaw federal facilities, classified spaces, emergency response, and a nationwide criminal-history program processing more than 6,000 fingerprint submissions monthly.
Today, Daniel supports advanced reactor and microreactor developers, nuclear fuel-cycle companies, DOE contractors, and federal primes. His consulting work has included DOE Safeguards and Security plans and procedures supporting two DOE-authorized demonstration reactors through first criticality, along with NRC security licensing, industrial security, physical protection, FOCI mitigation, and inspection readiness.
His approach combines an inspector’s perspective with executive leadership and hands-on implementation experience to deliver practical, defensible, and cost-effective security programs.
Proven Experience
2 DOE Demonstration Reactors Supported Through First Criticality
45+ Commercial Nuclear Reactors Inspected
17 DOE Field Sites
15+ Federal Facilities
17+ International Reviews
$360M Enterprise Security Portfolio