Namibia to host nuclear test-ban verification exercise

A high-level international visit is scheduled for the Erongo region at the end of October, giving government and technical officials from around the world an opportunity to observe field activities and inspect key locations associated with simulating real-life on-site inspections following a suspected nuclear test.

This is as Namibia is set to become the centre of a major international nuclear test-ban verification exercise when the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) conducts a six-week Integrated Field Exercise (IFE26) in the Erongo region in November this year.

The exercise, which simulates real-life on-site inspections following a suspected nuclear test, is designed to test and validate the world’s new and updated inspection capabilities under realistic field conditions.

The CTBTO’s Integrated Field Exercise is expected to bring together approximately 80 high-level representatives, including ambassadors, senior government officials and diplomats from states that have signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), as well as senior Namibian officials and the CTBTO Executive Secretary.

The programme is scheduled to include a visit to the Base of Operations in Swakopmund and selected field sites, where participants will observe how on-site inspection teams gather and analyse information in a simulated post-nuclear-test environment. The exercise is significant because on-site inspection is intended to serve as the final verification tool under the CTBT once the treaty enters into force. CTBT prohibits all nuclear weapon test explosions anywhere and by anyone. Although the treaty has achieved near-universal support, it has yet to enter into force because all 44 countries listed in its Annex 2 must ratify it. Nine of those required ratifications remain outstanding. The treaty currently has 188 signatory states and 179 ratifying states.

CTBTO has developed a global verification system that can detect possible nuclear explosions. An on-site inspection would allow states to gather evidence directly on the ground if the monitoring system detects a possible nuclear test. The organisation conducts integrated field exercises to develop and assess the effectiveness of this capability and ensure that it is operationally ready when required.

Namibia’s role as host reflects its longstanding support for the nuclear test-ban regime, as the country signed the CTBT when it opened for signature in 1996 and ratified it in 2001.

Namibia also hosts two certified International Monitoring System facilities near Tsumeb, auxiliary seismic station AS67 and infrasound station IS35, which contribute to the CTBTO’s global nuclear explosion detection network.

The Erongo region provides what the CTBTO describes as an exceptional environment for conducting realistic and scientifically credible exercise. Its wide-open terrain, relatively low population density and diverse geological features, including desert landscapes, rocky outcrops, dry riverbeds and naturally occurring uranium-rich soil, allow inspection techniques to be tested under controlled and safe conditions.

The high-level visit will be preceded by a joint press briefing in Windhoek on 26 October at the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy auditorium.

The briefing will include the CTBTO Executive Secretary and the Ministers of Industries, Mines and Energy and International Relations and Trade, focusing on IFE26, Namibia’s role as host, the exercise’s objectives, and its contribution to the international nuclear test-ban verification system.

The company stated that the exercise will demonstrate the practical capabilities required to support international efforts to prevent nuclear testing and strengthen the verification architecture underpinning the global test-ban regime.

*–ebrandt@nepc.com.na *

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