Transport Security for Nuclear and Other Radioactive Materials — A DOE Training Course

In early December of 2013, a weeklong training course on security for nuclear and other radioactive materials during transport was held for the first time at Argonne National Laboratory. The course was developed by Argonne for the U.S. Department of Energy Packaging Certification Program, Office of Packaging and Transportation, Office of Environmental Management. The training course included a review of applicable security-related regulations stipulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and U.S. Department of Energy orders and manuals; relevant international modal regulatory documents; and the requirements, guidance documents, and recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency related to transport security of nuclear and other radioactive materials. The training course incorporated lectures, in-class discussion exercises, homework, an exam, and hands-on team exercises related to developing a transport security plan and demonstrating how to apply it through readiness reviews and corrective actions. Hands-on team exercises also included the staging of a mock shipment in a vehicle and practice in applying the ARG-US radio frequency identification system to monitor, track, and to communicate security alarms during transport and in-transit stoppage. Guest lecturers included an industry expert representing the World Nuclear Transport Institute, a U.S. Department of Energy transport security policy analyst, subject matter experts on integrated emergency preparedness and crisis communication, and a noted catastrophist who gave a keynote address on comparative risk assessment of terrorism and natural hazards. As a result of the experience gained through the course and the positive feedback from the participants, the training course is being restructured and organized into modules to allow an international or country-specific focus, as well as facilitating closer integration of team exercises on a TSP and an advanced ARG-US system called CommBox. This paper will discuss lessons learned in selected areas, as well as changes being made to improve future courses.