Chemical Corps – Standing Office 81 conducts an exercise on investigating and responding to a radiological weapons proliferation situation

With the authorisation of the Ministry of National Defence leadership, on 23 October 2023, Standing Office 81 – the Chemical Corps, in coordination with the Department of Domestic Security/Ministry of Public Security and the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (VARANS)/Ministry of Science and Technology, conducted an exercise on investigating and responding to a radiological weapons proliferation situation, with a view to progressively improving the inter-agency coordination mechanism and building the capacity of specialised forces.

Figure 1. Delegates visit the exercise

In the simulated scenario, domestic reactionaries, taking advantage of the complex situation related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the world, actively procured materials and equipment and sought to research, manufacture and use weapons of mass destruction to carry out terrorist acts and riots and to blame the revolutionary government. Standing Office 81 advised the National Focal Point for countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to set up an Inter-agency Investigation Team to conduct investigations and verification in order to gather evidence and establish the criminal acts of the suspects as a basis for prosecution and trial; to prevent similar activities in a timely manner, clearly demonstrating Vietnam’s political determination in countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and to affirm Vietnam’s consistent policy of supporting international efforts towards the general and complete elimination of weapons of mass destruction.

Figure 2. The Inter-agency Investigation Team draws up a plan and organises forces to investigate and verify a radiological weapons proliferation situation at Hoang Long Co., Ltd.

During the investigation, the reactionary suspects recklessly used improvised radiological dispersal devices and improvised explosive devices to carry out a terrorist attack on the railway station of province T, causing serious damage. The Steering Committee for Counter-Terrorism of province T took initial response measures and reported to the National Steering Committee for Counter-Terrorism, requesting that the forces of the Chemical Corps – Standing Office 81, Ministry of National Defence, support the response to and the remediation of the consequences of the terrorist attack involving radiological weapons. With the authorisation of the Ministry of National Defence – the National Focal Point, the forces of Standing Office 81 coordinated with the relevant forces to carry out monitoring, reconnaissance, rescue, radiation surveys, radiological decontamination, cleaning and the collection of contaminated materials at the scene.

Figure 3. Images of the forces of Standing Office 81 taking part in the response to the radiological weapons proliferation situation.

Figure 4: Major General Ha Van Cu, Commander of the Chemical Corps and Head of Standing Office 81, and Major General Thung Van Nghiem, Deputy Director of the Department of Domestic Security/Ministry of Public Security, present awards to groups and individuals with outstanding achievements in the exercise.

Exercises on investigating and responding to situations involving the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in general, and radiological weapons in particular, provide a practical basis for Standing Office 81 and the focal points of ministries, sectors and provinces and centrally governed cities to continue researching and improving the coordination mechanism for countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and for responding to terrorist situations involving weapons of mass destruction. They also ensure the combat readiness and the response and remediation capabilities of the forces of Standing Office 81 – the Chemical Corps.

Dao The Huu – Centre 81