Nuclear Security News and Member Updates Roundup, February 2022

Hello to my INSF colleagues. Many of you know me from my association with the INSF (and the former Fissile Material Working Group) or my other work in the nonproliferation field. What you may not know, however, is the strength of my belief that the contributions INSF members and civil society organizations more generally are essential to a robust international nuclear security regime. The INSF has a lot planned for 2022 that, I hope, will help make that point.

Hope, Endurance, and Courage,

Rick

Join the conversation on Twitter: @INS_Forum

Updates

The International Nuclear Security Forum has extended the submission window for the Nuclear Security Policy Menu project. Topics can now be pitched until April 15, 2022.

The Policy Menu aims to anticipate the needs of future nuclear security actors by building a menu of nuclear security initiatives that might find traction in the aftermath of an intentional or accidental nuclear or radiological incident. The aim is not to focus on steps required to manage consequences in the immediate aftermath, but to help those tasked with thinking ahead in their efforts to prevent the next such event. Individuals interested in submitting a 1000-1500 word proposal should email Sneha Nair ([email protected]) by for more information on the submission process by April 15, 2022. Fifteen authors who submit to the Policy Menu will also be eligible to receive a $500 USD participation fee for contributing to the Policy Menu. Please contact Sneha with any questions and for more information.

Nuclear Security News

International Architecture

• Amendment to the international convention on nuclear material is approved by the Senate: “The Senate approved this Tuesday (22) the draft legislative decree (PDL) 827/2021, which approves the amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material. Previously approved by the Chamber of Deputies, the matter goes to promulgation… [Senator] Vanderlan Cardoso highlighted the holding, between March 28 and April 1, of the first Review Conference of the Convention on the Physical Protection of Amended Nuclear Material (CPPNM-E), in Vienna, Austria, during which the implementation and adequacy of said instrument. Countries that have ratified the CPPNM, but have not yet ratified its amendment, will only be able to participate as observers. Thus, ratification of the amendment to the Convention by Brazil before these dates will allow the country to fully participate in the meeting, as a State Party to the CPPNM-E.” This article originally appeared in Portuguese and was translated into English using an online tool.
• IAEA Supports China in Nuclear Security Efforts for Winter Olympics: “The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is supporting China in its efforts to protect the Winter Olympics against any criminal or terrorist activities involving nuclear or other radioactive material. As with many other major international events over the past two decades, the Agency has provided training on nuclear security measures and lent hundreds of radiation detection instruments for the Games which run from 4 to 20 February in the capital Beijing… ‘Events on the scale of the Olympic Games present complex security challenges for a host State,’ said Elena Buglova, Director of the IAEA Division of Nuclear Security. ‘The IAEA helps a country to build nuclear security capacities and boost personnel training. Greater and more visible levels of security and surveillance and the implementation of strong monitoring procedures at major public events go a long way to deter criminal or terrorist acts.’”
• Why UNSC Joint Statement on Nuclear Weapons is so Important: “It is not a binding resolution and reiterates some of the core obligations of the NPT, while a review of the NPT remains postponed until August due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But none of these factors diminish the urgency and political significance of the statement, especially given the unimaginable danger posed by the 13,000 nuclear weapons currently believed to be held by a handful of countries, and the growing spectre of loose nukes, which may be deployed by armed terrorist groups for nefarious purposes.

Weapons, Materials, and Facilities

• U.S.-Japan Fast Reactor Cooperation Raises Nuclear Security Issues: “There is a special concern about plutonium from fast-breeder reactors: about half of it is super-weapons grade plutonium which is even more useful to make nuclear weapons than weapons-grade plutonium… So far, the institutions guiding U.S.-Japanese fast reactor cooperation have all been tied to the nuclear energy sector. For sensible international security policy to prevail, institutions with a broader view must assert themselves. Regarding commercializing fast reactors, someone needs to say no.”
• Former Nuclear Plant’s Owner Fined for 2nd Security Lapse: “For the second time in as many months, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has fined the owners of a former New Jersey nuclear power plant for security-related violations. The agency said Wednesday it fined Jupiter, Florida-based Holtec Decommissioning International $50,000 for security violations at the former Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in the Forked River section of Lacey Township… In an investigation that concluded in March 2021, the NRC determined [an] armorer ‘deliberately failed to properly perform required annual material-condition inspections of response unit rifles, and falsified related records.’”
• Panel will look into leak of radioactive material at LANL: “A breached plutonium glove box last month at Los Alamos National Laboratory released airborne radioactive material that was more than double the yearly limit for a work area, prompting the formation of an investigative panel, according to a government watchdog’s report. The National Nuclear Security Agency, an Energy Department branch, formed an accident investigation board to look into the Jan. 7 incident that contaminated as many as four workers, with one undergoing treatment at the lab’s outpatient clinic.”
• Inspector General Says Counterfeit Parts in Nuclear Plants Raise Safety Concerns: “Many counterfeit parts have been discovered in U.S. nuclear plants, potentially increasing the risk of a safety failure, the inspector general of the federal nuclear industry regulator said in a report released on Thursday. The report said Department of Energy staff had identified more than 100 incidents involving counterfeit, fraudulent, or suspect items (CFSI) in agency reactors in fiscal year 2021 alone.”

Security Culture

• Security Think Tank: Focus on ‘Nudging’ to Build Effective Cyber Training: “Most organizations operate through a combination of technology, process, and people. In cyber security, the first two actions are relatively straightforward to put in place. The third, people, is less clear cut and less predictable… Good security training and a security culture should reduce the likelihood [putting security at risk].”

Threats

• War in Ukraine Heightens Nuclear Security Risks: “Nuclear security experts and sources in Ukraine argue that Russian and Ukrainian troops know precisely where Ukraine’s nuclear facilities are, and that neither have any interest in triggering a radiological incident. Nevertheless, the possibility of an unintentional strike poses a very real threat… Energoatom has previously stated that it was prepared for conflict. ‘From the point of view of nuclear security, we have made our own preparations in case something happens, something bad happens[.]’”
• Jonathan Toebbe Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Divulge Nuclear-Sub Secrets: “A U.S. Navy engineer pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he tried to sell highly sensitive nuclear-submarine secrets to a foreign government, in an agreement that could send him to prison for more than 12 years. Jonathan Toebbe, 43 years old, pleaded guilty in federal court in Martinsburg, W.Va., to a single count of conspiracy to communicate restricted data.”
• Russia links U.S. nuclear arms talks to security demands – report: “The fate of nuclear arms controls talks between Russia and the United States will to a large extent depend on how the negotiations on Moscow’s security demands progress… Vladimir Yermakov, head of nuclear non-proliferation and controls at Russia’s foreign ministry, told the RIA news agency that the urgent security guarantees discussions have taken priority over strategic arms control talks. No meetings have been agreed on the latter, and their resumption of now depends largely on resolving the immediate security issues raised by Moscow, he said.”

Member Organization Announcements and Updates

Arab Institute for Security Studies

• The Arab Institute for Security Studies study titled, Developing a Nuclear Fuel Cycle in the Middle East, which discusses nuclear security aspects of the fuel cycle. Learn more on their website.

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

• The Bulletin is hiring for a wide variety of positions for a range of experience levels. View the vacancies.

Center for Science & Security Studies (CSSS), King’s College London

• CSSS hosted a Nuclear Security Culture Programme webinar, “Mitigating malware and ransomware attacks” on February 17, 2022. The webinar discussed cyber elements of nuclear security regimes, and how cyber vulnerabilities are exploited by bad actors. Learn about the event.

ClearPath

• ClearPath has an opening for a Policy Manager of Nuclear Energy. Apply here.

Henry L. Stimson Center

• The Stimson Center Summer Internship program is open for applications. View the available vacancies.
• The Stimson Center, in partnership with the National Nuclear Security Administration, launched the Challenges and Opportunities of Emerging Technologies for Nuclear Security workshop series in January 2022. The workshop series will consist of four closed virtual events held throughout the first six months of 2022 to discuss the implications of new technological capabilities on nuclear security, both as an asset and a potential threat.

The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies

• CNS has opened applications for the Tuition-Free Nuclear Safeguards Course and Paid Summer Internships in International Nuclear Safeguards Policy. The deadline is March 11, 2022. Apply here.

CRDF Global

• CRDF Global, in partnership with the Stimson Center, published a report entitled Nuclear Security in South Asia: Regional Views on Prospects and Priorities, authored by recipients of the 2021 South Asian Voices-CRDF Global grants. This report features innovative research and analysis on some of the most critical nuclear security issues in South Asia. Contributors from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh examine a range of topics from cyber security at civilian nuclear energy sites, to regional and international cooperation to protect nuclear personnel and materials in South Asia, to developments in nuclear security culture on the subcontinent. Read the report.

Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI)

• NTI is hiring for a wide range of positions, including paid summer internships. View the vacancies here.
• On February 15, NTI released its paper on lessons learned from COVID-19 for nuclear emergency response. Commissioned by Major General Julie Bentz (ret.), the paper assesses potential gaps in preparedness, utilizing interviews with dozens of response practitioners. Bentz concludes that more work is needed to adequately prepare the homeland for a public radiation emergency including the detonation of a dirty bomb or an improvised nuclear device. Read the paper.

Universiteit Antwerpen

• Tom Sauer and Mathias Reveraert coauthored an article in Information Security Journal entitled “A four-part typology to assess organizational and individual security awareness.” Read it here.

Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP)

• The VCDNP has published a new report, Accession to and Impact of the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material on States Parties, that examines the impact of the CPPNM’s Amendment on States Parties and what measures would facilitate its effective implementation and universality. Read the report.
• The VCDNP conducted its second specialized short course on nuclear security for diplomats and practitioners. Learn more.
• VCDNP Senior Research Associate Dr. Hanna Notte and CNS Director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program have launched a new video/podcast, “Machiavelli in the Ivory Tower,” on arms control, nuclear security, nonproliferation, and international security issues. Watch here.

World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS)

• From March 2-4, 2022, WINS will host an international workshop to review best practices for the development and implementation of a regulatory framework for the security of radioactive material. The workshop will analyze the whole scope of regulatory practices needed to implement, enforce and strengthen a regulatory framework for the security of radioactive materials, while examining models and different approaches to regulatory practices associated with the security of radioactive materials. Apply here.