U.S. Helps Mongolia Prepare for Radiological Incident
The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration said today it had provided training to Mongolian authorities on the response to a potential terrorist strike against a site that holds nuclear or radiological materials (see GSN, Nov. 14, 2008).
Mongolian personnel from the law enforcement, regulatory and other sectors dealt with three distinct terrorist strike schemes in a four-day exercise at the Asian state's Nuclear Energy Agency headquarters in Ulaanbaatar. "The purpose of the response exercises is to gauge a site's preparedness for an armed attack, improve response plans and procedures and bring different response groups into the same room to analyze their roles in the response effort," according to an NNSA release.
The exercise was conducted through the nuclear agency's Global Threat Reduction Initiative, which seeks to secure and eliminate at-risk civilian nuclear and radiological material across the globe. Two Mongolian facilities housing radiological material have received physical security enhancements under the program.
Another NNSA program, Second Line of Defense, has deployed radiation detectors at 10 Mongolian border installations to deter smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive substances. Work on another four sites has begun or is being prepared.
“Our partnership with Mongolia is part of NNSA’s worldwide mission to prevent nuclear and radiological material from falling into the hands of terrorists,” NNSA Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator Kenneth Baker said in the release. “Working collaboratively with our counterparts around the globe allows us to join forces in the international fight against illicit trafficking and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction" (U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration release, Aug. 26).
Mongolian personnel from the law enforcement, regulatory and other sectors dealt with three distinct terrorist strike schemes in a four-day exercise at the Asian state's Nuclear Energy Agency headquarters in Ulaanbaatar. "The purpose of the response exercises is to gauge a site's preparedness for an armed attack, improve response plans and procedures and bring different response groups into the same room to analyze their roles in the response effort," according to an NNSA release.
The exercise was conducted through the nuclear agency's Global Threat Reduction Initiative, which seeks to secure and eliminate at-risk civilian nuclear and radiological material across the globe. Two Mongolian facilities housing radiological material have received physical security enhancements under the program.
Another NNSA program, Second Line of Defense, has deployed radiation detectors at 10 Mongolian border installations to deter smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive substances. Work on another four sites has begun or is being prepared.
“Our partnership with Mongolia is part of NNSA’s worldwide mission to prevent nuclear and radiological material from falling into the hands of terrorists,” NNSA Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator Kenneth Baker said in the release. “Working collaboratively with our counterparts around the globe allows us to join forces in the international fight against illicit trafficking and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction" (U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration release, Aug. 26).
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