The National Nuclear Security Administration hosted Cobalt Magnet 25, an emergency response exercise, with local, federal and international partners from the U.S. and Canada from March 14 to 21.
The exercise provided a scenario of a notional nuclear power plant accident to allow response personnel to practice scanning for radiological materials, protecting affected populations and public safety, and restoring any essential services. It included detection equipment, low-flying aircraft, and first responders, according to a press release by the Department of Energy.
A spokesperson from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) confirmed to the Exchange Monitor over email that the event happened in two locations in Michigan. The event itself required 18 months of planning and included over 3,000 participants, including the NNSA’s Nuclear Emergency Support Team, the press release said.
Wendin Smith, DOE Deputy Under Secretary for Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation, said in a statement provided to the Monitor that she “saw firsthand the combined federal, state, and provincial teams success in responding to the notional radiological incident scenario and developing assessment products to provide timely, actionable, and scientifically credible advice to leaders responsible for the public’s health and safety.”
Rick Christensen, Director of the NNSA Office of Nuclear Incident Response, said in the email that the last exercise of this scale involved hundreds of first responders from 30 government agencies, compared to how this year’s event “brought together more than 3,000 participants from 70 local, state, provincial, and federal agencies from the United States and Canada.”
“This is precisely why we regularly conduct these exercises,” Christensen said, “to develop our response capabilities for radiological and nuclear threats, incidents, and accidents in a variety of realistic and often unpredictable and difficult circumstances.”
