The terrorist attacks that took place on 11 September 2001 dramatically changed nuclear organisations’ perception of threat. Prior to 9/11, nuclear facilities depended mainly on “guns, guards and gates” for security. Some countries required their guards to have paramilitary training and undergo background checks and screening; others did not. After 9/11, the nuclear community realised this was simplistic and outdated.
In the last 14 years governments have instituted much more stringent regulatory requirements, and nuclear operators have invested time and money to upgrade security arrangements. In fact, WINS estimates that the average nuclear power plant now spends 10% of its operating budget on security. Yet despite more expensive and robust technical systems (and increasingly detailed regulations), dangerous and costly security incidents occur, because there is a persistent gap in security programmes.
As security threats faced by the nuclear sector evolve, Daniel Johnson, head of the WINS Academy, outlines how organisations can be better prepared to tackle insider threats in this article published in the Nuclear Engineering Magazine. Click on the link below to download the article.
