DOE, Norway Sign MOU for Nuclear Nonproliferation Cooperation

The Department of Energy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, continuing Norway’s support of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s nonproliferation program. The MOU was signed by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende, extending a relationship that dates to 2005. Norway and a handful of other countries have contributed $94.5 million since then to bolster NNSA’s nuclear security work around the world, but the amount of Norway’s latest contribution was not disclosed yesterday. “We appreciate Norway’s continued commitment to advancing our common international security goals,” Moniz said in a statement. “Our partnership with Norway allows us to accelerate programs aimed at preventing nuclear and radiological terrorism around the world.” Norway’s contributions will go toward efforts to curb nuclear smuggling in Central and Eastern Europe under NNSA’s Second Line of Defense Program and Global Threat Reduction Initiative.