John Benner is the Associate Laboratory Director for Weapons Production (ALDWP) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). In this role, he is part of the LANL executive leadership team and has responsibility for leading the pit production mission, operates the PF-4 nuclear facility and the production of nuclear weapon detonators, and other nonnuclear components. ALDWP also oversees plutonium processing and disposition, manufacturing of power supplies for NASA deep space missions, surveillance, nuclear materials management, and waste operations. Benner manages an annual program and operating budget of over $1.5 billion and 2,200 staff. Benner led the team that successfully delivered the first production unit (FPU) on the War Reserve W87-1 pit. 

Prior to taking on his current role, Benner was the LANL Chief Engineer for Nuclear Weapons and led all nuclear weapon engineering and high explosive testing operations for stockpile modernization programs and support of the existing stockpile as the Associate Director for Weapon Engineering and Experiments. Benner also led the LANL team on the W76-1 Life Extension Project (LEP), the first major stockpile modernization project, from development engineering through production engineering. From 2019-2020 Benner served an assignment as a Senior Advisor to the Principal Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs (NA-10) at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). During 2020-2021 Benner served as the LANL Executive Officer for Weapons Programs supporting overall weapon program integration and execution across the Laboratory in the $3 billion program. 

From 2017 to 2019 Benner was the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Mission Support and Test Services (MSTS), the management and operating contractor at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), executing stockpile certification support, subcritical experiments (SCE), and nonproliferation tests. Benner holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from West Virginia University, where he was elected as a member of the Academy of Distinguished Alumni in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in 2023.