DHS Announces New Domestic Nuclear Detection Office
Defense Against Nuclear and Radiological Devices Given Top Priority
by Jim Kouri, CPP
As part of the national effort to protect the nation from radiological and nuclear threats, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office is being established as a national office staffed by representatives from several federal, state, and local government agencies, according to officials from the Department of Homeland Security. The office will reside within the DHS and the DNDO director will report to the Secretary of Homeland Security.
The DNDO will provide a single accountable organization dedicated to developing the global nuclear detection architecture, and acquire and support the deployment of the domestic detection system to detect and report attempts to import or transport a nuclear device or fissile or radiological material intended for illicit use.
The mission of the office addresses a broad spectrum of radiological and nuclear protective measures, but is focused directly on nuclear detection. This includes establishing strong linkages across multiple departments and levels of government for: Â
* the development of the global nuclear detection architecture;
* the acquisition and support-to-deployment of the domestic detection system;
* the enhancement of effective sharing and use of nuclear detection-related information and intelligence;
* the coordination of nuclear detection research and development to continually improve detection capability; and
* the establishment of procedures and training for the end users of equipment developed and deployed through the new office.
Interagency, Federal, State, and Local Cooperation
To fully carry out the responsibilities of this initiative, close cooperation and coordination between Homeland Security, the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, the Department of State, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, state, territorial, tribal, and local governments, as well as the private sector is necessary. Â Many of these government organizations are jointly staffing the DNDO, and the DNDO will also coordinate and cooperate closely with other federal agencies. Â
The DNDO is an essential part of a multilayered defense strategy to protect the nation from a terrorist nuclear or radiological attack. Â No single layer alone is capable of providing one hundred percent effectiveness in detecting and interdicting nuclear materials intended for illicit use, and the overseas components of this strategy are aimed first at securing nuclear materials and detecting their movements overseas, playing a vital role in providing layers of protection closest to the points of potential origination of threat materials. The DNDO seeks to integrate these crucial overseas programs with the domestic nuclear detection system and with all nuclear detection efforts undertaken by federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local governments, and the private sector.
The DNDO will conduct both evolutionary (near term, requirements-driven) and transformational (long term, high-payoff) research, development, test, and evaluation programs to improve the nation’s capabilities for detection, identification and reporting of radiological and nuclear materials. By integrating these RDT&E programs with operational support, the DNDO will ensure that all technologies will be deployed with training materials and well-developed operational response procedures.
Additionally, the DNDO will enhance the effective sharing and use of nuclear detection-related information and intelligence, and will integrate this data with information from all mission-related detection systems to provide a greater overall awareness.
Domestic Nuclear Detection Office Programming
The DNDO will develop, acquire and support the deployment of a domestic nuclear detection system to detect and report any attempt to import or transport a nuclear explosive device, fissile material, or radiological material intended for illicit use.
In order to achieve its mission, the DNDO will:
* develop the global detection architecture and ensure linkages across federal, state, territorial, tribal and local agencies;
* enhance the effective sharing and use of nuclear detection-related information and intelligence;
* maintain continuous awareness by analyzing information from all mission-related detection systems;
* conduct aggressive evolutionary and transformational research and development programs to improve probability of detection by integrating and deploying current technologies and improving those capabilities over time;
* enhance the nuclear detection efforts of federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local governments, and the private sector to ensure a coordinated response; and
* establish standards, response protocols, and training across the federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local levels to ensure that detection leads to timely response actions.
Although the DNDO is principally focused on domestic detection, its coordinating work will enhance US efforts overseas through the design of a global nuclear detection architecture implemented under current agency responsibilities. Equally, while detection technologies developed by DNDO will be directed primarily by operational requirements for domestic application, many technologies developed will have direct application to overseas detection programs.
Sources: US Department of Homeland Security, Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, National Association of Chiefs of Police
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed “Crack City” by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university. He’s also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. He writes for many police and crime magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer, Campus Law Enforcement Journal, and others. He’s appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can be ordered at local bookstores.
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Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). In addition, he's the former editor for the House Conservatives Fund's weblog. Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com. He's also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. To subscribe to Kouri's newsletter write to COPmagazine@aol.com and write "Subscription" on the subject line. | More from Jim Kouri, CPP
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