IAEA’s nuclear security center offers hands-on training
In the past year and a half, the International Atomic Energy Agency has established the Nuclear Security Training and Demonstration Center (NSTDC) to help countries strengthen their nuclear security regimes. The center, located at the IAEA’s Seibersdorf laboratories outside Vienna, Austria, has been operational since October 2023.
The center is the first international training facility dedicated to nuclear security, according to the IAEA. It offers 23 training courses and workshops on the physical protection of nuclear facilities and material, nuclear forensics, and computer security.
The IAEA has for decades supported countries in strengthening their nuclear security regimes by conducting missions, trainings, and exercises. The NSTDC complements existing national and international mechanisms for capacity building in nuclear security and targets areas not previously addressed by the IAEA.
“The NSTDC is a modern, specialized training facility supported by state-of-the-art technical infrastructure,” said Marina Labyntseva, head of the Education and Training Development Unit in the IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Security. “Its training program is designed to address identified needs and gaps, offering thousands of experts access to hands-on training, advanced technology and equipment.”
Hands-on training: An example of the center’s infrastructure is the Demonstration Control Center (DCC), which is a simulation of the central alarm station (CAS) found at nuclear facilities or facilities that use radioactive material. It is equipped with multiple workstations that can be configured for alarm monitoring, access control, video monitoring, and training in computer security.
Demonstration and virtual reality environments simulate the security systems used at nuclear power plants, research reactors, and border crossings.
“It is a technical training facility that does not commonly exist in countries, providing unique experience in hands-on CAS operations,” said Labyntseva. “The DCC provides monitoring and control of all installed security systems so that trainees are able to monitor, assess, and communicate alarms from different systems and workstations.”
The NSTDC also has a physical protection demonstration room, allowing trainees to configure, use, and test different physical protection components, such as access controls and surveillance cameras. Security is also a key consideration when transporting radioactive sources, whether from a research facility or hospital to a secure storage site or to a port for repatriation to their country of origin. The NSTDC offers hands-on training to assist countries in enhancing nuclear security relating to these activities.
“Since before its opening, it was clear to us that the NSTDC would play a critical role in training nuclear security professionals,” said Abdullah Khalid Tawlah, ambassador and permanent representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, who co-chairs the Friends of the NSTDC group. “It is important to underscore that we are immensely proud of the work we have done in supporting this center, which has already attracted a large number of participants in such a short space of time, demonstrating the essential and constructive role it will play in the fields of nuclear security.”
Scene of the crime: The NSTDC offers classes in radiological crime scene management and nuclear forensics training. The specialized equipment available at the center offers trainees the opportunity to gain experience in dealing with a radiological crime scene, learn about safety precautions in such a scenario, and understand how evidence of radioactive material is collected, packed, and transported to a laboratory and how it can be analyzed to support crime investigations.
“The NSTDC and the comprehensive training it offers exemplify the IAEA’s enduring commitment to nuclear security,” said ambassador and resident representative of the United States of America to the UN Laura S. H. Holgate, who co-chairs the Friends of the NSTDC group. “Its location, nestled between the safeguards laboratories and the original nuclear applications laboratories, serves as an important reminder of the pivotal role nuclear security plays alongside safeguards and nuclear applications in fulfilling the IAEA’s ‘Atoms for Peace and Development’ agenda. In concert, these activities build public trust in, and safe and secure access to, nuclear technology, enabling the IAEA to address the most pressing challenges of our time.”
According to the IAEA, the increasing use of digital technologies globally, including in nuclear power plants, means that extra vigilance is needed to protect against blended attacks and cyberattacks, underscoring the need for robust computer and information security measures. Computer security and cyber capabilities have been integrated into the NSTDC courses to address aspects such as nuclear plant sabotage, the detection of lost radioactive sources, nuclear security for sources used in hospitals, and nuclear security at major public events and at border controls.