U.S. DOE IS SECURING MONGOLIA'S BORDERS

UNCLAS ULAANBAATAR 000524 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL EAID MG SUBJECT: U.S. DOE IS SECURING MONGOLIA'S BORDERS ¶1. (U) SUMMARY. U.S. Department of Energy-provided radiation detection portals are now operational at Ulaanbaatar's international airport, as well as at Mongolia's borders with Russia (rail at Sukhbaatar and vehicle at Altanbulag) and China (rail and vehicle at Zamiin-Uud). A November 14 inauguration ceremony also highlighted ongoing DOE training for Mongolian inspection officials on use of the equipment. At least two more phases of the USD 20 million project are planned for 2009 and 2010. Meetings with key officials following the ceremony indicate that the Mongolian government remains committed to the project and is investing its own resources in staffing the new equipment. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) Surrounded by several horse head fiddlers, a nationally-known TV personality, and several leading members of government, including the Deputy Prime Minister, on November 14 the U.S. and Mongolian governments formally inaugurated U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-provided and installed radiation detection portals at Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar. The equipment and associated training for its use was provided in the framework of DOE's Second Line Defense (SLD) Radiation Portal Monitoring Program. ¶3. (U) The overall project aims to strengthen the capacity of the government to deter, detect, and interdict illicit trafficking in special nuclear and other radiological materials. At all border sites where the SLD program installs equipment, the primary goal is to screen all possible pathways: vehicles, cargo, rail cars, and pedestrians. The Mongolia program is implemented under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Department of Energy and the Government of Mongolia in Washington in October 2007. ¶4. (U) The November 14 ceremony marked the end of the project's first phase. Apart from the International Airport, detection equipment is operational at border ports in the North with Russia (rail at Sukhbaatar and vehicle at Altanbulag) and the south with China (rail and vehicle at Zamiin-Uud). Other sites will be equipped in 2009 and 2010, with a total expected U.S. investment of USD 20 million. ¶5. (U) Embassy DCM Nicholas Hill, visiting DOE Assistant Deputy Administrator David Huizenga, and GOM Deputy Prime Minister Enkhbold spoke at the November 14 ceremony. The director and key staff of Mongolia's State Specialized Inspection Agency of Mongolia (SSIA), the main partner government organization for this project, also attended. After the ceremony, SSIA's Director General informed post and visiting DOE officials that the agency is in the process of hiring an additional 160 inspectors, many of whom will be assigned to operate the equipment at border ports. ¶6. (U) DOE will continue to provide ongoing classroom and hands-on training for Mongolian inspection officials working the radiation detection equipment. In August, for example, DOE brought 21 Mongolian inspectors from three agencies to the Pacific Northwest Laboratory in Washington State for training on functioning equipment. ¶7. (U) During their visit to Mongolia, DOE officials discussed the next phases of the SLD program with the State Specialized Inspection Agency, Customs General Administration, and Border Protection General Authority of Mongolia. The second phase, now underway, will focus on extending the system to five border ports in the west and north of Mongolia, four of them on the border with Russia and one with China. As phase two evolves, both the USG/DOE and GOM will assess the most logical expansion sites for phase three, in 2010. MINTON