Motor carriers of radioactive sources are not directly inspected for compliance with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s security requirements, the Government Accountability Office found in a report released last week.
Radioactive sources, used worldwide for medical, industrial, research, and other applications, are vulnerable to theft by groups seeking to create radiological “dirty bombs,” or devices that employ conventional explosives to disperse radioactive material.
The GAO noted that the NRC licenses the possession and use of radioactive sources, while the Department of Transportation regulates their transport and the Department of Homeland Security secures modes of transportation. It said these three agencies have taken steps for over a decade to strengthen the security of the most dangerous radioactive sources by updating protection regulations and increasing interagency collaboration.
The GAO said that while the NRC requires its licensees to ensure that carriers transporting those sources implement security measures such as 24-hour shipment monitoring, the NRC itself does not inspect whether these carriers meet those requirements – the agency’s authority is only over its licensees. The Transportation Department has authority over the carriers, but the GAO noted the agency does not have the authority to enforce compliance with NRC requirements. “Thus, no federal or state agency directly inspects carriers for compliance with NRC’s security requirements,” the report said.
The GAO recommended the NRC chairman determine a means of verifying that motor carriers meet NRC’s transportation security requirements. The NRC suggested in its response it would consider cooperating with the Department of Transportation to address the issue.
The NNSA intends to issue a contract modification extending by four months Synergy Solutions’ personnel security and facility clearance programs support services, according to a notice posted Monday. The notice said the contract would be awarded March 29 to the Oak Ridge, Tenn.-based company.
The work under this contract involves background investigations for job applicants to the agency as well as the NNSA’s 49,000 contractor and federal employees with security clearances. The extension follows a bid protest filed after the NNSA awarded a follow-on deal for personnel security support services late last month, leading to a stay of performance on the new contract. The details of the bid protest and the follow-on contract award were not immediately clear.
The NNSA also last week awarded a $14.5 million contract to IntePros Federal, which will offer information technology support services to the agency’s Office of Information Management and the Chief Information Officer. The notice did not provide specific details about the work covered by the contract. The agency last contracted with Metrica Team Venture for those offices’ IT support services, which included site assessments of network security plans, network configuration, and risk analysis work.
The NNSA’s cybersecurity program receives approximately $132.5 million annually and is supported by roughly 20 federal employees and 85 headquarters contractors. The agency’s chief information officer recently said the cyber program is strong and has not faced any major incidents over the last few years.
From The Wires:
From Air Force Magazine: The U.S. Air Force needs no fewer than 100 of its new B-21 Raider nuclear-capable bombers.
From Wired: The U.S. government over the last decade has spent millions of dollars on programs to help people survive a nuclear war.
