The Gate to Africa Exercise Programme: Morocco–Spain Joint Tabletop and Field Exercises on Maritime Security of Radioactive Material in Transport

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• Publisher: International Atomic Energy Agency
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9789201053220
• Topic: Tecnología e ingeniería
• Subtopic: Ingeniería mecánica

In May 2012, Morocco, Spain and the IAEA jointly organized a technical seminar on the risk of nuclear terrorism. This led to the adoption of a Joint Action Plan that provided an adequate framework for conducting exercises for nuclear security events and radiological emergencies. The Gate to Africa exercise programme on transport security is an implementation of the Joint Action Plan. This publication summarizes the Gate to Africa exercise programme and describes the scenarios utilized. It also lists the lessons learned and findings from the exercises. As such, this publication is intended to assist other Member States interested in implementing their own transport security exercises.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background

With the assistance of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT), Radiological Emergency Management Exercise 2013 (REMEX-2013) was held 25–26 April 2013 at the National Civil Protection Academy in Madrid, Spain. The IAEA provided financial and technical support for the joint tabletop exercise (TTX); arranged transport security training courses in Spain and Morocco; and coordinated several consultancy meetings to plan the exercise. The exercise consisted of two phases. The first phase mapped out the urgent response that would be needed in the aftermath of a hypothetical detonation of two radiological dispersion devices (RDDs) in two cities involved in the transport operation, with serious transregional and transnational consequences. The second phase tested the response capabilities of both countries under this complex scenario in crime scene preservation and nuclear forensic investigation. The exercise reinforced the links between institutions and identified new issues for future cooperation at the national, bilateral and international level. The experience and lessons learned were valuable.

An international exercise prepared in the frameworks of the Early Notification and the Assistance Conventions, ConvEx-3 (2013), also known as Bab Al Maghrib, was held 20–21 November 2013 by Morocco and the IAEA. This exercise allowed Morocco to evaluate and enhance its:

— Capabilities to face multiple nuclear events in different locations;

— Interagency coordination and information exchange mechanisms;

— Command and control systems at the technical, site and national level;

— Notification and assistance request mechanisms with the IAEA.

This effort also contributed to the enhancement of the international emergency preparedness and response system. Similarly, Spain participated in testing: (i) the effectiveness of IAEA communications, (ii) the response of personnel using the IAEA’s emergency web site and the provision of advice to States and companies potentially affected (Level A), and (iii) the Spanish emergency response system, including the provision of assistance upon request (Level B).

With bilateral cooperation between Morocco and Spain and with the cooperation of the IAEA, the three parties agreed to organize a maritime transport security exercise involving radioactive material by the end of 2015. The context of the exercise programme was driven by the following elements:

— The political instability in the Sahel–Saharan region that required a mutualization of efforts at the bilateral and regional level in response to a marked terrorism threat;

— Recent intelligence information reporting the risk posed by terrorist groups’ interest in acquiring and using radioactive material for malicious acts;

— The commitment by Morocco and Spain to strengthen their national capabilities in nuclear security according to international standards and to contribute actively to upholding nuclear security worldwide together with the IAEA and to other voluntary international initiatives such as the Nuclear Security Summit and the GICNT.

After the IAEA Director General’s visit to Morocco in June 2014, preparations for these exercises were begun during a meeting held 4–5 September 2014 at the IAEA in Vienna. During the meeting, Morocco, Spain and the IAEA agreed to organize a series of exercises entitled Gate to Africa, which would simulate various responses to securing a maritime shipment of radioactive sources in the territorial waters of Morocco and Spain. The following exercises were developed:

— Two national-level TTXs in preparation for a joint TTX and field exercise (FEX):

● Security in the transport of radioactive sources held in Rabat, Morocco, on 28 May 2015;

● Security in the transport of nuclear material and spent nuclear fuel in Madrid, Spain, on 1 June 2015.

— A joint TTX on the security of the maritime transport of radioactive sources in Madrid, Spain, on 27 October 2015.

— A joint FEX in Spain on the security of the maritime transport of radioactive sources in Moroccan and Spanish territorial waters on 29 October 2015.

1.1.1. Exercise scope

The Gate to Africa joint exercises addressed nuclear security as it relates to the security of radioactive material during transport. The exercises included two distinct phases: a TTX phase and an FEX phase that evaluated national preparations ...

Table of contents

• 1. INTRODUCTION
• REFERENCES
• ABBREVIATIONS
• CONTRIBUTORS TO DRAFTING AND REVIEW