NNSA Public Affairs

Media Contact(s): NNSA Public Affairs, 202-586-7371
 
NNSA's Second Line of Defense Program
 
The mission of the National Nuclear Security Administration�s (NNSA) Second Line of Defense (SLD) program is to strengthen the capability of foreign governments to deter, detect, and interdict illicit trafficking in nuclear and other radioactive materials across international borders and through the global maritime shipping system. The goal is to reduce the probability of these materials being fashioned into a weapon of mass destruction or a radiological dispersal device (�dirty bomb�) to be used against the United States or its key allies and international partners.

Under the SLD program, NNSA works collaboratively with foreign partners to equip border crossings, airports and seaports with radiation detection equipment and associated communication equipment.  The SLD program provides training in the use of the systems for appropriate law enforcement officials and initial system sustainability support as the host government assumes operational responsibility for the equipment.

Two programs fall under SLD: the Core Program and the Megaports Initiative. The Core Program installs radiation detection equipment at borders, airports, and strategic ports in Russia, other former Soviet Union states, Eastern Europe and other key countries.  The Megaports Initiative provides radiation detection equipment to key international seaports to screen cargo containers for nuclear and other radioactive materials regardless of the container destination.

SLD Core Program

  • Goal: Equip over 500 sites in 32 countries with detection equipment.
    • Agreement with Russian Federal Customs Service to equip all of Russia�s border crossings (350 sites) with radiation detection equipment by the end of 2011.  Cost for this effort will be split between NNSA and the Federal Customs Service of Russia.  A total of 160 sites in Russia have been equipped to date.
    • Initiated the installation and/or sustainment of radiation detection systems and associated training in Ukraine, Slovakia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Greece, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Estonia, Mongolia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Uzbekistan, Mexico, Israel, Romania, Poland, Lebanon, and at the Vienna International Center (in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency).  A total of 69 sites outside of Russia have received radiation detection systems to date.
    • Pursuing agreements to implement the SLD Core Program in other high priority countries.
    • Working with foreign law enforcement entities to deploy mobile (e.g., van-mounted) radiation detection systems to enhance their efforts to detect, deter, and interdict between official borders and at points internal to the country.

Megaports Initiative

  • Goal: Equip over 100 seaports with radiation detection equipment, scanning approximately 50% of global shipping traffic by 2015.
    • Cooperating with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security�s Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in implementation of the Secure Freight Initiative (SFI) at international ports. Under SFI, all U.S.-bound containers are being scanned at three ports in Pakistan, Honduras, and the United Kingdom. Megaports and CBP are also working at ports in South Korea, Oman, and Hong Kong to demonstrate integrated scanning of U.S.-bound containers at larger container terminals at high-volume ports.
    • Completed installations at 27 ports to date in: Bahamas, Belgium, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Greece, Honduras (SFI Port), Israel, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Oman (SFI Port), Pakistan (SFI Port), Panama, the Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Singapore, South Korea (SFI Port), Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Kingdom (SFI Port).
    • Implementation is underway at 16 ports in the following locations:  Bangladesh, China, Djibouti, Dubai-United Arab Emirate, Egypt, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Panama, and Spain.
    • Pursuing agreements at additional ports worldwide.
 
September 2009