ERDA Transportation Safeguards

more and more nuclear material is moved from one place to another within the United States each year the responsibility for the Safety and Security of these nuclear material shipments rests with various U.S government agencies the energy research and development Administration erda the nuclear Regulatory Commission NRC and of course the Department of Defense erda which this film is all about and the NRC were formed in January 1975 when the old atomic energy commission was reorganized erda is responsible for government-owned special nuclear material in quantities which have potential weapon applications the events of the past several years civil unrest hijackings bombings and other terrorist activities both worldwide and here in the United States have increased the concern for the security of nuclear material shipments the system that has come out of all this is a good one and is considered effective enough to cover almost all contingencies the program does recognize however that an aggressor force that is well enough motivated manned and equipped can challenge even the best plan system because of this erda has asked for the help of state law enforcement agencies across the country as a kind of first line of defense in emergency situations to understand what may be requested of you in an emergency some background on the Urdu organization program equipment and tactics is necessary because of the amount of material moved and many years of experience in weapons transport the Albuquerque operations office was selected as the organization responsible for all aspects of the transportation of strategic quantities of government-owned special nuclear materials these or larger amounts of materials alone or in combination are considered strategic quantities and must be moved within the erda single manager system to give you an idea of how much material is involved two kilograms four and one half pounds of plutonium would be about the size of a pack of cigarettes for safety protection it is of course packaged in a much larger container the transportation safeguards division a part of the Albuquerque operations office has the primary responsibility for both transportation and protection of spatial nuclear materials the technical support Branch provides electronic system engineering support and staffs and operates ccom a nationwide high frequency radio system which provides for constant Communications with shipments throughout the country this Branch also provides liaison with state law enforcement agencies the shipment planning Branch coordinates all movements requests for movement of material are Consolidated the means of transportation is determined and the requirement is passed on to the safeguards branch this Branch handles the actual movement of the spatial nuclear material its responsibilities also include the administration and training of The erda Courier Force which accompanies all shipments of special nuclear material which fall within the Strategic quantities category Courier forces are stationed at several locations across the country the atmx cars were designed specifically for the movement of special nuclear material they are very heavy have a low center of gravity double locking couplers and inwardly sloping ends to reduce car damage in the event of a collision and to prevent the propagation of an explosion from one car to the next these features combined with the maximum 35 mile an hour speed makes it almost inconceivable that they would be involved in an accident of sufficient Force to rupture the car and expose the material the escort coaches which accompany the train are fully self-contained with sleeping quarters kitchen facilities and extensive Communications equipment the car is armored to help protect the crew and equipment in the event of an attack Vans of this type called Ponies are used to transport small quantities of material that do not fit into the Strategic quantities category occasionally because of classification or sensitivity courier service is required on these shipments also by far the most common method of moving strategic quantities of special nuclear material is The Courier escorted tractor trailer rig erda owns a large Fleet of these tractor trailers the tractors are armored and equipped with Communications gear the trailer resembles a large standard Freight trailer on the Outside Inside it is practically a rolling vault the inner compartment where the cargo is stowed provides protection to the shipment in an accident and protection from an overt attack as well a typical Convoy consists of the tractor trailer and one or more escorting vehicles each vehicle is manned by three couriers the escort can be either a carry-all or a tactical escort vehicles the Tactical escort vehicle uses a typical recreational vehicle body it is armored and equipped with Communications gear weapons ammunition sleeping quarters and cooking facilities both vehicles are relatively low profile equipment in each of the Convoy Vehicles includes HF radio gear for digital and voice Communications with ccom via the relay sites the HF gear for communications within the Convoy portable radios and pagers for use when Courier Personnel are away from their vehicles at fueling or food stops each Courier has its own 357 Magnum sidearm and the vehicles are stocked with M16 rifles 12-gauge shotguns and 40 millimeter grenade launchers other equipment includes radiation detection Instruments file weather gear gas masks earther Courier drivers are well trained and must continue to demonstrate driving proficiency throughout their career unsafe or illegal driving is not tolerated if the tractor driver is stopped by a law enforcement officer for any reason a unique problem is raised since the tractor is armored the couriers have been instructed not to open the cab door until they are absolutely sure that security can be maintained to handle this situation The Courier will display his picture identification card at the window and repeat the following message over the vehicle's public address system I'm a Federal Officer with the energy research and development Administration in custody of sensitive material I'm not permitted to open the door of this vehicle I will remain stopped while you contact my supervisor in the escort vehicle to the rear the escort Vehicles operate close enough to the tractor trailer to be on the scene by the time the truck is stopped when the supervisor has identified the officer the couriers and the truck will Dismount if necessary erdo couriers are extensively trained ant must need High medical Fitness standards including mental and emotional stability for annual certification under a human reliability program each Courier must pass the urta driver school for all types of vehicles he must qualify quarterly with his personal sidearm and other assigned weapons couriers are authorized by the atomic energy act to carry firearms including automatic weapons in the normal pursuit of their jobs Nationwide basic Courier training is a six weeks course which is followed by year of on-the-job training then two weeks of Advanced Training with this as a background let's look at situations that could require your help in the first instance if Communications with the Convoy is lost or if a convoy does not report in at a specified time the State Police in the area would be asked to begin a search for the missing vehicles while in most cases this is not a true emergency it must be treated as if it were until proved otherwise in the event of a genuine emergency such as an armed attack or mcconvoy the following actions would take place one of the couriers would activate the emergency switch on the control panel the digital message would be transmitted via relay to Secom control center in Albuquerque control will react to the emergency message by notifying erda management and calling the predetermined state law enforcement agency in the state where the shipment is located the FBI and other government agencies will then be notified basically erda is requesting state law enforcement agencies to provide assistance from available forces in seven categories which do not require special training or equipment however if the particular state has specially trained forces such as SWAT or tact teams special weapons or equipment such as all-purpose vehicles or aircraft their use in such an emergency may be requested the first officer on the scene should join with one of the couriers to establish a joint Command Post this will enhance friend full identification control will keep an open telephone line to State headquarters the officer at the scene will be given a handy talkie radio so that he will have communications with other couriers on the scene and he will also have radio communications via his car radio with his own headquarters the second area of assistance would be to set up roadblocks around the emergency site to contain the attackers and prevent innocent bystanders from becoming involved in a possible shooting situation third order requests that the on-scene state officer direct the deployment and activities of any other law enforcement Personnel including sheriffs and City police as they arrive on the scene fourth the officers on the scene may be asked to provide additional Firepower at the request of The Courier in charge fifth the officer at the scene should request medical assistance when and as necessary and sixth help secure the area until the Convoy is regrouped and ready to travel if the special nuclear material is lost to the attackers the FBI has responsibility and assumes control of the recovery operation you may also be asked to assist them in their operations among the other resources the FBI has available in a situation of this type is erda's Nest or nuclear emergency search team Nest teams have equipment which can locate nuclear material the situations which have been suggested here have not happened not yet anyway but they could and if they do the terrorist group trying to grab nuclear material will be well prepared and deadly serious the organizations which respond to a threat of this kind must be equally serious and determined if we are to prevent nuclear blackmail or large-scale loss of life and property as members of a state law enforcement agency you have significant roles to play in helping to maintain control of special nuclear materials your quick response in an emergency can materially reduce the threats of radical and dissident groups