| In the news: The National Nuclear Security Administration, in cooperation with U.S. partner nations, plans to establish an integrated global system to detect smuggled nuclear material before it can be used in acts of terrorism. This past month, the NNSA’s Office of Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence (NSDD) announced the deployment of a Counter Nuclear Smuggling System. What they’re saying: The objective is to deploy integrated sustainable counter-nuclear smuggling systems in cooperation with international partners worldwide to strengthen the overall capability of partner countries to detect, disrupt, and investigate the smuggling of nuclear and radiological materials that could be used in acts of terrorism. Elements of the system will be deployed at points of entry of all types, border control checkpoints, and other areas throughout partner countries. |
| Why it matters: Work under the NSDD program is part of a larger anti-smuggling effort that taps specialized contractors and national laboratories. It is one of three such programs within the Office of Global Material Security and aids in NNSA’s nonproliferation mission. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm recently told Congress that DOE and the semi-autonomous NNSA is doing this sort of work, helping Ukraine detect radiological events during its war with Russia. “With the NNSA, we have made sure that we have installed sensors in Ukraine to detect radiological activity,” Granholm told the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 26. “We have been training people in Ukraine in how to respond to a radiological action.” |