School on Nuclear Security

Nuclear Security School co-director Andrea Braunegger-Guelich of the IAEA.

11/04/2011 - Trieste

Link to the original story.

While the effects of the recent Japan earthquake on its nuclear energy facilities have raised worldwide concerns about nuclear safety, nuclear security--measures to prevent nuclear proliferation or sabotage, as well as the protection of nuclear materials--is a topic of equal importance and is the theme of a two-week school organized by ICTP and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The 'International School on Nuclear Security', held in Trieste from 11 to 22 April, brings together IAEA expertise and ICTP's international network of researchers in developing countries. The School's aim is to provide participants with the knowledge they need to meet obligations under the international nuclear security legal framework, to identify and remedy threats against nuclear security by using radiation detection strategies, and to respond to incidents involving nuclear and other radioactive material.

"Countries need to be more prepared for potential threats. The School helps to develop an international nuclear security culture," said School co-director Andrea Braunegger-Guelich, also of the IAEA Office of Nuclear Security.

The Italian government initially proposed the School at last year's Nuclear Summit in Washington, where a number of nations pledged their support to strengthen global nuclear security. Italy, ICTP's chief sponsor, included the Trieste school amongst its nuclear security action plans.

ICTP actively supports a number of joint educational activities with the IAEA geared towards building competence in developing countries, including the School of Nuclear Knowledge Management, which has been successfully conducted at ICTP for the past six years.

Facts about the School:

• 250 applications
• 50 participants from 43 countries
• 20% women
• Participants come from regulatory authorities, universities, research institutes, different national ministries, and law enforcement agencies

More details about the School are available on its website.

The School is co-sponsored by the Central European Initiative and the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science.

New IAEA Security Series Document

The International Atomic Energy Agency has released its Nuclear Security Series No. 15 document, entitled "Nuclear Security Recommendations on Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material out of Regulatory Controls," which is a euphemism for missing or stolen material. The document was produced jointly with several international organizations, including EUROPOL, ICAO, ICPO-INTERPOL, UNICRI, UNODC, and WCO. Nuclear security culture is an underpinning element, recommended at all levels of ensuring nuclear and radioactive material security, including prevention, detection and response, and mitigation. Full document is available here.

CITS Hosts Nuclear Security Culture Panel in Washington D.C.

The Center for International Trade & Security hosted a panel discussion entitled "The Human Dimension of Nuclear Security" immediately following the 2011 Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference in Washington D.C. The event took place Wednesday, March 30th from 9:00am - 12:00pm at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Panelists included Laura Holgate from the National Security Council, Charles Ferguson from the Federation of American Scientists, Roger Howsley from the World Institute of Nuclear Security, Jean Jalouneix from the Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, Mary Alice Hayward from Areva USA, and Kara De Castro from the NNSA. Panel transcript is available here.

U.S. National Security Advisor Thomas Donilon on Security Culture

“But nuclear security is more than about protecting material with guards, guns, and gates. It also means addressing the human element by establishing a security culture and training programs for the personnel responsible for protecting nuclear materials. Since the Washington summit, we have signed agreements with Japan, China, South Korea, and India to establish and work together at regional “Centers of Excellence” to provide training and education for nuclear security officials. During the President’s recent trip, Brazil agreed to consider establishing a similar regional center for Latin America. Other training facilities are being established in Italy, Kazakhstan and Algeria. [emphasis added]

Nuclear security requires funding, but it is money well spent. For its part, the Obama Administration has committed an additional $10 billion to the Global Partnership to help countries pay for nuclear and biosecurity upgrades. In this respect, I want to emphasize the President’s commitment to securing adequate funding for the U.S. nuclear security and nonproliferation programs in the FY 2011 and FY2012 budgets. Even in these difficult financial times, we cannot afford to skimp on essential national security needs.”

Read entire speech from the 2011 Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference here.