US, UK, Russian Federation Hold Trilateral Nuclear Security Best Practices Workshop | National Nuclear Security Administration

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representatives from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence and Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) met this week in Vienna, Austria, for their Seventh Annual Nuclear Security Best Practices Exchange. The two-day workshop focused on overcoming challenges associated with securing nuclear materials worldwide.

These workshops grew out of commitments in a 2005 U.S.-Russian Joint Statement on Nuclear Security. The United Kingdom joined as a participant in the workshops in 2008. The exchanges are designed to bring together technical experts with high-level policy makers to improve understanding of challenges related to securing nuclear material. Each country made presentations on best practices for securing nuclear material, followed by discussions that helped further develop solutions to prevent the theft or seizure of nuclear material.

“Our nations have a strong mutual commitment to developing and sharing the world’s best practices in nuclear security, as our long-term cooperation demonstrates,” said NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Anne Harrington. “These workshops are a unique opportunity for U.S., Russian and U.K. partners to work collaboratively, and are an important part of a global effort to improve the security of nuclear materials around the world.”

The trilateral workshop was led by the NNSA Acting Chief of the Office of Defense Nuclear Security, the Rosatom Deputy Director General for Security and the Principal Security Adviser of the Defence Equipment and Support Organisation, U.K. Ministry of Defence.

These exchanges are sponsored by NNSA’s Material Protection, Control and Accounting (MPC&A) program, which partners with Russia and other countries to strengthen the security of nuclear weapons and weapons-usable nuclear material worldwide.

For more information on NNSA’s MPC&A program, click here.

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Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing; works to reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad.