A staff member holds a portable germanium detector; the large cylinder is the liquid nitrogen container to keep the detector cold.

Part of the stated goal of the U.S. Department of Energy Radiological Threat Reduction Program is to work "with our overseas counterparts to assess the security of radiological materials of concern which may be vulnerable to theft or diversion and to improve the security of that material as rapidly as possible." Of great concern are materials that could be used for a Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD). To achieve their desired effect, the disruption of public life, RDDs do not require high quality uranium or plutonium; they only require radioactive sources - such as those that can be found in wide use in many medical, industrial, military, and research facilities.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, many such facilities were abandoned, and in several cases high-risk sources were left behind. Oftentimes, the new host country was left completely unaware of the presence of these materials; for example, several radioactive sources have been discovered at more than one former Soviet military site in the Republic of Georgia.

To achieve the Radiological Threat Reduction Program's objectives of locating, identifying, and securing radiological source materials, partner countries have come together to establish the financial and technical capabilities to conduct the Search and Recovery of high-risk sources. Among the partner countries, Lithuania was chosen as the first country to receive equipment and support. Providing a base for the technical capabilities, CANBERRA gamma and neutron detection and characterization instrumentation was supplied to the Lithuania efforts: a Syrena Gamma Source Finder, a Dineutron Source Finder, a NaI Detector, a Germanium Detector, and an InSpector™ 2000 portable Multi-Channel Analyzer and a laptop computer with the Genie™ 2000 software.

A staff member from the Lithuania Institute of Physics (holding CANBERRA bag) talks with Ambassador Longsworth (to his left) about equipment used in the Search and Recovery.

Lithuanian officials identified 41 former Soviet military and industrial sites that potentially held high-risk sources to be a part of the Search and Recovery efforts in Lithuania between September and December of 2003. CANBERRA's equipment, along with project management and training from CANBERRA personnel were instrumental in the efforts.

To assemble and coordinate specialists to conduct the Search and Recovery, INTA - an in-country integrated contractor - was recruited.INTA has also previously worked with CANBERRA as a subcontractor for CANBERRA's integrated Aquila surveillance and radiation detection system installed at the Vilnius International Airport, also in Lithuania.

The sites searched by the Lithuanians included former nuclear weapons storage facilities, former aviation and naval bases, former missile launch bases, and textile factories. The Lithuanians located an ²⁴¹Am rod with 23 radioactive plates at a textile factory. The source was delivered to the Institute of Physics.

Thanks to the efforts of the Radiological Threat Reduction Program backed by CANBERRA equipment, training, and expertise, the Lithuanians now have their own capability to identify and characterize radioactive sources should the need arise in the future. The work in Lithuania shows how CANBERRA instruments and expertise are being used as integral part of projects to reduce the risk of RDD attacks both domestically and abroad. Due to the success in Lithuania, the DOE is examining the possibility of undertaking similar efforts in other countries.

NOTES

i. Source: http://www.nnsa.doe.gov/na-20/nrtr_rtrp.shtml
ii. Source: http://www.nti.org/db/nisprofs/georgia/waste.htm