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'United States and Russia complete nuclear material control systems at four sites; Department of Energy Participates in Commissioning Ceremonies in Moscow,' DOE Press Release R-98-020, 25 February, 1998
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"The United States and the Russian Federation today announced the completion of upgrades at four Russian facilities that will help to secure and control nuclear materials, reducing the worldwide risk of nuclear proliferation. Representatives of the two governments are holding commissioning ceremonies for the new security systems this week at each of the facilities.
Nuclear material control and accounting upgrades have been installed at the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research, the Karpov Institute of Physical Chemistry, and the Research and Development Institute of Power Engineering. The sites are the latest facilities to complete the installation of nuclear materials protection, control and accounting upgrades under the US Department of Energy's cooperative efforts with Russia, the Newly Independent States and the Baltics. Rose Gottemoeller, Director of Nonproliferation and National Security, is representing the department at commissioning ceremonies near Moscow this week.
'Our joint efforts to institute site-wide material protection, control, and accounting upgrades continue to reduce the nuclear danger worldwide,' said Secretary of Energy Federico Peña. 'These upgrades significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized use, theft, or diversion of weapons-usable nuclear materials.'
The Department of Energy and the Russian government have been cooperating since 1994 to improve the security of weapons-usable material at locations throughout Russia under the Material Protection, Control, and Accounting (MPC&A) program. Originally part of the Department of Defense's Cooperative Threat Reduction ('Nunn-Lugar') program, the initiative was assumed by the Energy Department in 1995. The design and installation of MPC&A upgrades are carried out by technical experts from the department's national laboratories working directly with their counterparts in Russia, the other Newly Independent States, and the Baltics.
Since 1994, MPC&A has improved the security of tens of tons of weapons-usable nuclear material throughout Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Uzbekistan, and Georgia by improving physical protection and material accounting systems. These protections include radiation portal monitors, tags and seals, barcoding materials, access control devices, and inventory control software for material accounting systems. The MPC&A initiative also offers training in the use of these systems to the facilities' staffs.
Site-wide MPC&A upgrades were completed at three additional sites in Russia in December 1997, and commissioning ceremonies for these sites are also planned in early 1998. To date, site-wide MPC&A upgrades have been completed at 17 sites throughout the former Soviet Union. By December 2002, more than 50 locations are scheduled to receive nuclear material security and accounting upgrades, protecting hundreds of additional tons of weapons-usable material from theft or diversion.
More information on MPC&A initiatives are available on the World Wide Web at:http://www.dp.doe.gov/nn/mpca/index.html"
Security of US Nuclear Facilities
'Secretary Peña Strengthens DOE Intelligence Programs; Establishes New Offices of Counterintelligence and Intelligence,' Department of Energy Press Release R-98-014, 10 February 1998
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"Energy Secretary Federico Peña today announced the reorganization of intelligence programs at the Department of Energy to improve counterintelligence capabilities and enable better coordination with national law enforcement agencies. The reorganization, which will be implemented over the next four months, creates two new offices, an Office of Counterintelligence and an Office of Intelligence. Both will report directly to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Energy.
'The Cold War is over, but the need for national security vigilance is as great as ever. With these reforms, I plan to increase our coordination with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to enhance security and combat potential threats,' Secretary Peña said.
The new Office of Counterintelligence will be responsible for ensuring effective counterintelligence programs throughout the Department of Energy complex, including at the department's laboratories. The new office will be headed by Edward Curran, currently a senior manager at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he serves as a section chief in the National Security Division. The appointment of Curran to this position will promote closer links among FBI field offices and Energy Department facilities across the country, as well as between the FBI and Energy Department headquarters. The new Office of Intelligence will be responsible for foreign intelligence analysis. Notra Trulock, the current director of energy intelligence, will continue in that capacity. Trulock is currently on an Intergovernmental Personnel Act assignment from the Los Alamos National Laboratory. There will be a competitive selection for a permanent director for the new office. Both the foreign intelligence and counterintelligence functions were previously under the umbrella of the Office of Energy Intelligence within the Office of Nonproliferation and National Security."
© 1998 The Acronym Institute.