SEARCH AND SECURE – AN ENDURING APPROACH TO ORPHAN SOURCE DETECTION AND CONTROL

Year
2005
Author(s)
Mark Soo Hoo - Sandia National Laboratories
Mark Soo Hoo - Sandia National Laboratories
Ioanna Iliopulos - Office of Global Threat Reduction, National Nuclear Security Administration
Ioanna Iliopulos - Office of Global Threat Reduction, National Nuclear Security Administration
Michael Haase - Canberra Albuquerque, Inc.
Michael Haase - Canberra Albuquerque, Inc.
Richard Meehan - National Nuclear Security Administration
Richard Meehan - National Nuclear Security Administration
Scottie Walker - Sandia National Laboratories
Scottie Walker - Sandia National Laboratories
William Rhodes - Sandia National Laboratories
Tom Coulter - Coulter Consulting
Abstract
In July 2004, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration initiated a program of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and partner countries to improve the security and control of high-risk radioactive materials by locating and consolidating abandoned radioactive sources. The program is part of a broader effort by the DOE’s International Radiological Threat Reduction (IRTR) Program to reduce the risk of a terrorist employing a radiological dispersal device or “dirty bomb” on the territory of the U.S. or its allies. The IRTR Program works with international partners to secure radioactive sources that could be utilized in such weapons. The IRTR Program initiated the Global Search and Secure Project (GSSP) to undertake a concerted effort to locate and secure vulnerable, highrisk radioactive sources worldwide. The GSSP project works with partner countries to identify sites where high-risk sources may be located, provide the instruments and training required to conduct searches, and work with the IAEA and the partner country to transfer located sources to a secure facility.