The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Radiological Security and the European Commission’s Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs spoke at last week’s International Conference on Nuclear Security on securing radioactive sources, according to a joint press release.
The joint statement between the two powers highlighted the need to prevent the use of radioactive materials in terrorist acts and to counter the use of weapons of mass destruction in terrorism. It also mentioned US and European Union programs that seek to strengthen security of radioactive sources, a press release by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) says.
“The impacts of a radiological event can have consequences that transcend borders. This is not a problem that any single country can address alone,” Jeffrey Chamberlin, NNSA’s acting principal assistant deputy administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, said in the press release. “Together, with the European Commission, NNSA strives to work collaboratively to strengthen radioactive source security.”
Civilian facilities, such as hospitals and laboratories that use radiological materials, rely on local law enforcement to respond efficiently in the event they become vulnerable to radiological theft or radioactive dispersal devices sometimes called dirty bombs. In the joint statement, the United States and the European Commission called attention to how vital it is to carefully plan procedures for these events.
According to the NNSA press release, a radiological security response exercise will be held in Warsaw in December.
The International Conference on Nuclear Security is an annual conference held by the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria.
