Earlier this year, NNSA’s Office of Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation and the NATO Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defence Centre of Excellence collaborated to deliver emergency preparedness and response training in Slovenia.
National Nuclear Security Administration
October 26, 2023
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Earlier this year, NNSA’s Office of Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation (CTCP) and the NATO Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Defence Centre of Excellence collaborated to deliver emergency preparedness and response training in Kranj, Slovenia.
Traveling to our partners increases attendance and awareness as many nations do not have the travel funding, time, or flexibility to release key personnel for training abroad.
More than 25 participants took part in the International Radiological and Nuclear Training for Emergency Response course, which included vehicular and pedestrian search techniques, emergency mission planning, radiation search fundamentals, a practical field exercise, and an overview of Department of Energy (DOE) reachback capabilities.
It was part of a NATO effort to “train as you would respond” to a radiological emergency. It was also an opportunity for the Slovenian Armed Forces to work side-by-side with their civilian counterparts – responding together as a whole-of-government team. This type of cooperation is key to speedy and effective response.
Andrae Brooks, a Foreign Affairs Specialist in CTCP’s Office of Nuclear Incident Policy and Cooperation, coordinates DOE courses with the assistance of NATO’s facilities. He explained that the alliance’s goals are to expand the audience for these types of trainings.
“Traveling to our partners increases attendance and awareness as many nations do not have the travel funding, time, or flexibility to release key personnel for training abroad,” he said. “We are 100% mobile. By traveling with all the required equipment and working with our NATO partners, we can bring training to many of the smaller and newer nations in the alliance.”
Participants including members of Slovenian Armed Forces, police and fire departments, Criminal Police Directorate, Internal Affairs Inspectorate, Civil Protection, and the Ministry of Interior. Each participant came from CBRN, police, emergency management, and firefighter/civil protection backgrounds.
The May course faculty was augmented by members of the Slovenian Armed Forces, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s AFRICOM Theater Support Group, and the Slovenian Institute for Occupational Safety/Center of Physical Measurements. Each brought specific strengths and resources, including CBRN Laboratory Specialist Saša Simonič, who provided a unit Command Briefing on the Slovenian Mobile CBRN Radiological Laboratory and the deployable capabilities it offers to NATO.