DHS DNDO, IAEA sign security development agreement

Dr. Huban Gowadia

The DHS office that oversees anti-nuclear and radiological terror efforts has signed an agreement with the primary international nuclear security organization to further develop a global nuclear security framework.

In a post on the DHS Web site on Aug. 10, Huban Gowadia acting director of DHS’ Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) said she met with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Office of Nuclear Security Director Khammar Mrabit on Aug. 7 to sign the DHS-IAEA Practical Arrangements. Gowadia called the arrangements “an important step forward…” in the development of joint security plans.

The Practical Arrangements, said Gowadia, build on the extensive collaborative relationship between DHS and the IAEA, outlining the importance of strengthening nuclear security, and denoting four key areas for cooperation.

Those areas include: Development and implementation of guidelines for the IAEA Nuclear Security Series of publications that provide international guidelines and best practices related to nuclear security; collaboration on standards, testing, characterization, and evaluation for nuclear detection instruments; providing expertise to the Nuclear Security Support Centres and Academic Research Initiatives as they pertain to radiation/nuclear detection; and cooperation in the development and review of nuclear forensics related best practices and guidelines. 

DNDO and the IAEA have been working since July 2011 to develop a joint work plan identifying areas of cooperation on nuclear security. DNDO is responsible for coordinating the U.S. government’s interagency efforts to develop the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture (GNDA), a layered defense against nuclear and radiological terrorism.