Nuclear security workshop at Y-12 includes 21 countries

Twenty-one countries participated in a first-time nuclear security workshop at the  Y-12 National Security Complex this week.

The World Institute for Nuclear Security workshop has focused on the best security practices for nuclear power plants and other major nuclear facilities, a National Nuclear Security Administration press release said.

The workshop has been jointly sponsored by the NNSA and the Department of Defense.

The workshop was expected to help on-site security officers and off-site tactical response forces responsible for protecting nuclear and radiological materials, the release said.

“This is a great opportunity for all countries represented at the workshop to exchange best practices for securing nuclear facilities, to assess preparedness, and to identify areas for improvement,” said Douglas Fremont, NNSA’s chief of defense nuclear security. “The workshop also enhances NNSA’s critical mission in ensuring the safety, security and effectiveness of the nuclear deterrent, in addition to securing vulnerable nuclear material around the world and strengthening nuclear nonproliferation.”

The workshop has provided participants with the opportunity to review and discuss how to develop an effective security exercise program that evaluates and improves performance, ensures quality, and tests nuclear security systems, the release said.

It also allowed them to view a “validation force-on-force exercise” and discuss the use of advanced tools and simulators for the preparation of security exercises.

“This WINS workshop will build on DOE/NNSA’s extensive work with international partners to improve the effectiveness of security response forces,” said Anne Harrington, NNSA’s deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation. “We believe the sharing of best practices for security exercises will expand the ability of nuclear facilities worldwide to develop and implement nuclear security programs that include practical exercises to evaluate the effectiveness of security response forces and help to mitigate security-related threats.”

Countries represented at the workshop included Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, The Netherlands, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States.