Nuclear Emergency Support Team
Encyclopedia
The Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST) (formerly known as the Nuclear Emergency Search Team) is a team of scientists, technicians, and engineers operating under the United States Department of Energy
's National Nuclear Security Administration
(NNSA). Their task is to be "prepared to respond immediately to any type of radiological accident or incident anywhere in the world".
was warned that the FBI received a communication from an extortion
ist wanting $200,000 after claiming that a nuclear weapon had been placed somewhere in Boston
. A team of experts rushed in from the United States Atomic Energy Commission
but their radiation detection gear arrived at a different airport. Federal officials then rented a fleet of vans to carry concealed radiation detectors around the city but forgot to bring the tools they needed to install the equipment. The incident was later found to be a hoax
. However, the government's response made clear the need for an agency capable of effectively responding to such threats in the future. Later that year, President Ford created the Nuclear Emergency Search Team (NEST), which under the Atomic Energy Act is tasked with investigating the "illegal use of nuclear materials within the United States, including terrorist threats involving the use of special nuclear materials" .
One of its first responses was in Spokane, Washington
on November 23, 1976. An unknown group called the "Days of Omega" had mailed an extortion
threat claiming it would explode radioactive containers of water all over the city unless paid $500,000 ($2 million in 2011 dollars). Presumably, the radioactive containers had been stolen from the Hanford Site
, less than 150 miles to the southwest. Immediately, NEST flew in a support aircraft from Las Vegas
and began searching for non-natural radiation, but found nothing. No one ever responded despite the elaborate instructions given, or made any attempt to claim the (fake) money which was kept under surveillance. Within days, the incident was deemed a hoax, though the case was never solved. To avoid panic, the public was not notified until a few years later.
When an airborne response to an incident is underway, the Federal Aviation Administration
grants NEST flights a higher control priority within the United States National Airspace System, designated with the callsign "FLYNET".
with radioactive iodine
set off alarms in the New York City subway. After being strip-searched and interrogated he was sent on his way.
Since its initial creation, the detection equipment has been improved and now data can be processed accurately enough to home in on the activity of any single nuclear element desired.
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
's National Nuclear Security Administration
National Nuclear Security Administration
The United States National Nuclear Security Administration is part of the United States Department of Energy. It works to improve national security through the military application of nuclear energy...
(NNSA). Their task is to be "prepared to respond immediately to any type of radiological accident or incident anywhere in the world".
History
Concerns over scenarios involving nuclear accidents or incidents on American soil are not recent. As early as the 1960s, officials were concerned that a nuclear weapon might be smuggled into the country, or that an airplane carrying a nuclear weapon might crash and contaminate surrounding areas. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-25176515_ITM In late 1974, President Gerald FordGerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
was warned that the FBI received a communication from an extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
ist wanting $200,000 after claiming that a nuclear weapon had been placed somewhere in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. A team of experts rushed in from the United States Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
but their radiation detection gear arrived at a different airport. Federal officials then rented a fleet of vans to carry concealed radiation detectors around the city but forgot to bring the tools they needed to install the equipment. The incident was later found to be a hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
. However, the government's response made clear the need for an agency capable of effectively responding to such threats in the future. Later that year, President Ford created the Nuclear Emergency Search Team (NEST), which under the Atomic Energy Act is tasked with investigating the "illegal use of nuclear materials within the United States, including terrorist threats involving the use of special nuclear materials" .
One of its first responses was in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
on November 23, 1976. An unknown group called the "Days of Omega" had mailed an extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
threat claiming it would explode radioactive containers of water all over the city unless paid $500,000 ($2 million in 2011 dollars). Presumably, the radioactive containers had been stolen from the Hanford Site
Hanford Site
The Hanford Site is a mostly decommissioned nuclear production complex on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, operated by the United States federal government. The site has been known by many names, including Hanford Works, Hanford Engineer Works or HEW, Hanford Nuclear Reservation...
, less than 150 miles to the southwest. Immediately, NEST flew in a support aircraft from Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
and began searching for non-natural radiation, but found nothing. No one ever responded despite the elaborate instructions given, or made any attempt to claim the (fake) money which was kept under surveillance. Within days, the incident was deemed a hoax, though the case was never solved. To avoid panic, the public was not notified until a few years later.
Today
According to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, NEST has the ability to deploy as many as 600 people to the scene of a radiological incident, though deployments do not usually exceed 45 people. NEST has a variety of equipment (weighing up to 150 tons) and has the support of a small fleet of aircraft which includes four helicopters and three airplanes, all outfitted with detection equipment.When an airborne response to an incident is underway, the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
grants NEST flights a higher control priority within the United States National Airspace System, designated with the callsign "FLYNET".
Capabilities
Since 1975, NEST has been warned of 125 nuclear terror threats and has responded to 30. All have been false alarms. While it is common belief that NEST does not have the technology to accurately detect nuclear threats within the noise of natural radiation, in fact it has had the capability to distinguish between man-made and natural radiation since the 1970s. At first, there were still some problems with this simple distinction, as man-made radiation also includes such things as medical radiation. A man under treatment for Graves' diseaseGraves' disease
Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease where the thyroid is overactive, producing an excessive amount of thyroid hormones...
with radioactive iodine
Iodine
Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The name is pronounced , , or . The name is from the , meaning violet or purple, due to the color of elemental iodine vapor....
set off alarms in the New York City subway. After being strip-searched and interrogated he was sent on his way.
Since its initial creation, the detection equipment has been improved and now data can be processed accurately enough to home in on the activity of any single nuclear element desired.
In popular culture
- In the video game Metal Gear SolidMetal Gear Solidis a videogame by Hideo Kojima. The game was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and first published by Konami in 1998 for the PlayStation video game console. It is the sequel to Kojimas early MSX2 computer games Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake...
, Nastasha Romanenko is an analyst on deployment from NEST who provides the player not only advice on weapons procured on site during the mission but also information on nuclear weapons and world politics concerning disarmament and deterrence. - NEST teams are mentioned in the game Call of Duty 4: Modern WarfareCall of Duty 4: Modern WarfareCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a 2007 first-person shooter video game, developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. A handheld game was made for the Nintendo DS. The game was released in North America, Australia, and...
where they are sent to try and defuse a nuclear device planted by Middle Eastern coup d'état leader Khaled Al-Asad in his own country. While the player is flying on a helicopter trying to get out of the city, Command warns that NEST teams are trying to defuse the bomb. It subsequently detonates, destroying the whole city and killing all 30,000 Marines present there. - NEST is also mentioned in the motion pictures Broken ArrowBroken ArrowBroken Arrow may refer to:*Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, United States*Broken Arrow Public Schools- Film and television :*Broken Arrow , a Golden Globe-winning western film...
, The Peacemaker, and Atomic TrainAtomic TrainAtomic Train is a 1999 action-thriller film about an accidental nuclear explosion destroying the city of Denver. It was originally broadcast on NBC as a two-part miniseries.-Cast:*Rob Lowe as John Seger*Kristin Davis as Megan Seger...
, as well as in the made-for-television film Special BulletinSpecial BulletinSpecial Bulletin is an American made-for-TV movie first broadcast in 1983. It was an early collaboration between director Edward Zwick and writer Marshall Herskovitz, a team that would later produce such series as thirtysomething and My So-Called Life...
. - A NEST team appears in season 2 of the television series "24." The team is called in response to finding an armed nuclear bomb just outside of Los Angeles, California. A NEST team is also deployed to New York City in season 8 of "24."
- A NEST team is described in the Tom Clancy book The Sum of All FearsThe Sum of All FearsThe Sum of All Fears is the best-selling thriller novel by Dan Fogelman and Tom Clancy, and part of the Jack Ryan series. It was the fourth book of the series to be turned into a film. An interesting historical note is that this book was released just days before the Moscow uprising in 1991, which...
. A terrorist thermonuclear device that fizzledFizzle (nuclear test)In nuclear weapons, a fizzle occurs when the testing of a nuclear bomb fails to meet its expected yield. The reason for the failure can be linked to improper bomb design, poor construction, or lack of expertise. All countries that have had a nuclear weapons testing program have experienced fizzles...
is detonated in a fictional stadium called the Super Dome located in Denver, ColoradoDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
during the Super BowlSuper BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
. A NEST team is deployed from Rocky Mountain ArsenalRocky Mountain ArsenalThe Rocky Mountain Arsenal was a United States chemical weapons manufacturing center located in the Denver Metropolitan Area in Commerce City, Colorado...
as part of the initial response to the detonation. - NEST sensors are a plot feature in season two, episode 12 of NCIS: Los Angeles which posits that NEST have sensors all across LA and can apparently detect nuclear materials being transported in real time.
See also
- Federal Emergency Management AgencyFederal Emergency Management AgencyThe Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
- Department of Homeland Security
- Broken Arrow
- Nuclear power plant emergency response teamNuclear power plant emergency response teamA nuclear power plant emergency response team is an incident response team composed of plant personnel and civil authority personnel specifically trained to respond to the occurrence of an accident at a nuclear power plant....
External links
- Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST) Department of Energy - Nevada Site Office