Radio Communications Systems at Russian Nuclear Sites

Under sponsorship of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Material Protection, Control, and Accounting Program (MPC&A), the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has provided the lead for installing radio communications systems at Russian nuclear sites. Installation of these systems at the Russian sites has greatly improved the protection of nuclear materials by: Reducing the time to respond to security threats Improving communications between the site and protective forces providing redundancy for critical communications Subscriber radios have been provided to critical and the Ministry of Interior- internal Troops (MVD) who provide the main armed physical protection at Minatom nuclear sites. The presentation will review the history and development of the current strategy for radio communications systems and provide a status of the systems at the various nuclear sites. The presentation will also discuss the selection of the MPT-1327 protocol for trunking systems which is consistent with Minatom, the MVD policies as well current DOE review and guidance. The presentation will additionally provide an overview the thirteen sites now operational, all using legally assigned radio frequency channels and having over $3 million (total) equipment delivered. The presentation will address each site, discussing the equipment determined most appropriate for the site and examining current operations. The presentation will conclude with a summary of achievements and of existing issues and concerns.