Government and Industry Cooperation to Strengthen Transport Security

The US National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Radiological Safety has initiated the formation of a government and industry stakeholders’ group to strengthen transport security in the United States. The Transport Security Unified Stakeholders Group provides a forum for all potentially affected parties to collaboratively identify transport security challenges and develop solutions to strengthen security approaches. The group’s operating approach is to identify issues; facilitate common understanding; and develop, implement, and monitor enhancements to these transport security issues.The Transport Security Unified Stakeholders Group will consist of voluntary members from governmental agencies, industry (shippers and carriers), and related professional associations. Using a combination of face-to-face meetings and correspondence, the group will identify and prioritize issues being faced by its members, identify and explore solutions to the issues, and determine the most effective solution for implementation. Working groups will be used to ensure progress on the issues continues between meetings and to develop recommendations for consideration by the full group. The group is expected to begin operation in early 2019 and has the following goals:Strengthening transport security for domestic transport of radioactive sourcesImproving collective understanding of issues impacting industry and regulatory agenciesExpanding and fostering a more effective working relationship between government and industryIntegrating the free flow of issues, comments, and jointly developed practices between government and industry over the long-termFacilitating interagency agreement on solutions to security challenges faced by the agencies, shippers, and carriersSharing best security practices and more cost-effective measures for providing transport securityThe full paper will report on the formation, membership, and progress made by the group.