Transport Security For Nuclear And Other Radioactive Materials

The U.S. Department of Energy Packaging Certification Program, Office of Packaging and Transportation, Office of Environmental Management has sponsored a training course on security during transport of nuclear and other radioactive materials, conducted annually by Argonne National Laboratory since 2013. The original pilot course covered both international and U.S. domestic transport security; in later years, it was divided into two separate, week-long courses. In 2015, the course became part of the curriculum of the Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Packaging program at the University of Nevada, Reno. In 2018, the courses were formally designated as Nuclear and Other Radioactive Materials Transport Security - International (ME 694I), and Nuclear and Other Radioactive Materials Transport Security - U.S. Domestic (ME 694D). The objectives of these two courses are to help participants gain a detailed working knowledge and understanding of international and U.S. domestic requirements, recommendations, and guidelines for security during the transport of nuclear and other radioactive materials by all modes of transport. More specifically, the international transport security course addresses the recommendations and guidance from the International Atomic Energy Agency and the international regulatory requirements and recommendations from relevant international and regional modal transport organizations, whereas the U.S. domestic transport security course addresses the requirements of the U.S. government agencies. Both courses provide guidance on how to develop transport security systems by following a graded approach and applying modern technologies; how to develop transport security plans (TSPs) that satisfy regulatory security requirements; how to apply rules of engagement for escort, guard force, and emergency responsepersonnel; and how to communicate with stakeholders and the public during emergencies, among other topics. Both courses incorporate hands-on exercises involving TSPs, readiness reviews, and corrective actions; use of an audience participation system to enhance dialogue; and a field exercise using the ARGUSremote monitoring systems to track a mock shipment with “staged incidents.” Both courses also make extensive use of tabletop exercises to facilitate learning through role-playing, discussions, and group reports. In this paper we provide highlights of recent transport security courses, including lessons learnedfrom participants’ feedback and future directions.