Next Generation Nuclear Security Training Techniques

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) partnered with the Department of State’s Partnership for Nuclear Security (PNS) to engage a group of international technical experts and next generation nuclear security personnel, to help develop and strengthen a culture of nuclear security and nonproliferation. This five-day event, delivered by ORNL subject matter experts, provided the participants with an overview of nuclear security culture, evaluation of security systems, vulnerability analysis, human reliability, and insider threat. The culmination of the workshop was a table top exercise (TTX), which tests the analytical abilities of nuclear professionals and students in both designing and evaluating the performance of hypothetical physical protection systems (PPS) with an emphasis on insider threat scenarios. The focus of the exercise was to successfully compromise the PPS or to defend the processing facility from adversary attack. Each team was composed of eight players from diverse nationalities and was responsible for opposing force (Op4) attack strategy and protective force (PF) protection strategy plans. The teams were given identical facility characterization, asset criteria and design basis threats (DBTs) as well as policies and procedures common to the mock facilities used. This unique training method brings together an international audience, amalgamating national cultures, experiences and perspectives within a “red team/blue team” engagement. This leads to establishing professional relationships among the participants, providing real world scenarios relevant to the topic, and the sharing and promotion of best practices.