NNSA Principal Deputy Administrator Frank Rose Remarks to Reception Celebrating 20 Years of NNSA-Poland Collaboration, October 2, 2023

Thank you, Dan, for that kind introduction, and more importantly, for hosting this reception to celebrate two decades of partnership between the National Nuclear Security Administration and Poland.

I normally start most of my remarks by reviewing the international security conditions that inform the NNSA’s mission, often quoting the U.S. Director for National Intelligence’s annual threat assessment.  But I realized that would truly be “preaching to the choir”, as our Polish allies can simply look across their Eastern border to see that existential threats to Western democracies who subscribe to a rules-based international order are very real. 

Indeed, the United States and Poland have been clear throughout this conflict that we are committed to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes, and we have worked shoulder-to-shoulder to deliver support to the brave people of Ukraine and to protect their nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

So, I would like to start by thanking the Government of Poland for your assistance to Ukraine in its time of need.

While greatly appreciated, however, I can’t say Poland’s efforts in this regard are surprising, as for the past twenty years they have been a valued partner in our global nuclear nonproliferation, nuclear security, and emergency response efforts. Since 2003, NNSA’s Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation – or DNN – has partnered with Poland to address radiological risk by securing radiological sites and removing disused radioactive sources to secure storage.  Working in partnership with the Polish government and the National Center for Nuclear Research, we successfully completed the conversion of the MARIA research reactor from highly enriched uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium fuel and further reduced the nuclear risk by removing more than 700 kilograms of irradiated and unirradiated highly enriched uranium from the EVA and MARIA research reactors.  Our cooperation continues today, as we work together to provide physical security upgrades to the MARIA reactor, the Nuclear Waste Management facility’s spent fuel building, and the Central Alarm Station used by the two facilities. 

We have had a great series of meetings with the Poland National Atomic Energy Agency on collaboration in nuclear security.  Yet like our collective efforts to support Ukraine, these meetings are building upon a foundation of successful partnership.  For example, last year NNSA partnered with Poland to provide training to Polish and Ukrainian medical experts on medical response to nuclear or radiological injuries, and we look forward to developing future capacity building training opportunities that could be held in Poland to benefit Ukrainians and others in the region for emergency preparedness and response.  Additionally, for over a decade NNSA has cooperated with the Polish Border Guard, National Police, National Atomic Energy Agency, and Customs Service to deploy radiation detection systems at thirty border crossing points and five vehicle-based mobile detection systems. 

By working to detect, interdict, and secure nuclear or radioactive materials before they can be weaponized, we not only reduce global nuclear security threats, we also strengthen the peaceful use of nuclear technology and improve lives globally.  Our hope is to continue to partner with, and support Poland, as it becomes a leader in developing transformative ideas and innovations in the twenty-first century,

I could go on naming other areas of successful nuclear security, emergency preparedness and response, and nonproliferation collaboration between our two nations.  But it suffices to say that, working together, we are better able to ensure peace and prosperity for the citizens of both our countries.

I’d like to conclude by making a toast.

Here’s to the deep and longstanding friendship shared by Poland and United States. May our nuclear security, emergency preparedness and response, and nonproliferation cooperation of the last two decades continue for many more decades to come.

Na Zdrowie!!