VZCZCXRO3141
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHRL #0628/01 1341513
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131513Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1199
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEFHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
INFO RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0334
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BERLIN 000628 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ISN, PM, INR, DS, S/CT, INL, EUR 
DOE FOR NNSA - KROL AND WILBER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MNUC KNNP PTER ASEC KCRM ENRG PREL KGIC GM
SUBJECT:  RESPONDING TO NUCLEAR TERRORISM AND RADIOLOGICAL 
INCIDENTS - GERMANY'S TASK FORCE APPROACH 
 
REF: A. 07 STATE 162091 
     ¶B. 05 BERLIN 3617 
     ¶C. 05 HAMBURG 93 
     ¶D. 06 HAMBURG 85 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  German officials from the Federal 
Environment Ministry and the Federal Office of Radiation 
Protection (BfS) briefed NNSA Associate Administrator for 
Emergency Operations Admiral Krol on Germany's task force 
approach to respond to incidents of nuclear terrorism and 
other radiological incidents.  In case of such an incident, 
the Federal Office of Criminal Investigation, the Federal 
Police, and BfS officials would stand up the federal 
Central Support Group (ZUB) to provide analysis, technical 
assistance, and recommendations to emergency response 
personnel in German states, which have the lead for 
detection and response under Germany's Constitution. 
Admiral Krol described the emergency response structure and 
capabilities of NNSA's Office of Emergency Operations.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Safety 
Administration Associate Administrator for Emergency 
Operations Admiral Joseph J. Krol and NNSA Office of 
Emergency Response Director Deborah Wilber visited Berlin 
May 7-8 for consultations with the German Federal Office of 
Radiation Protection (Bundesamt fuer Strahlenschutz, or 
BfS), a semi-autonomous implementation agency of the 
Federal Environment Ministry (BMU).  Interlocutors included 
BfS Director General for Radiation Protection and 
Environment Gerald Kirchner; BfS Defense against Nuclear 
Hazards Task Force Director Michael Hoffmann; BfS physicist 
Emily Alice Kroeger; and Mechthild Caspers of the BMU's 
Office of Radiological Protection. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Krol and Wilber described the emergency response 
structure and capabilities of NNSA's Office of Emergency 
Operations, which provides technical advice from the DOE 
Complex in response to threats or acts of nuclear 
terrorism, radiological accidents, lost or stolen 
radioactive materials, nuclear weapon accidents, and 
malevolent threats or acts.  Wilber highlighted NNSA's 
International Reach Back services, including: 
 
-- TRIAGE:  a 24/7 on-call support service for first 
responder teams for analysis of nuclear data; 
-- International Exchange Program (IXP):  a 24/7 service 
that provides support for radiological plume and dispersal 
modeling; and 
-- Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site 
(REAC/TS):  a 24/7 on-call service for medical support for 
radiation injuries. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Krol and Wilber also described NNSA's radiological 
search and identification capabilities and provided an 
overview of NNSA efforts to address the challenges of 
maritime search operations.  Wilber presented a case study 
based on an October 2005 operation to locate 17 suspect 
containers that had been shipped from Sri Lanka via several 
vessels to ports around the world.  Scanning data analyzed 
post-departure showed a neutron signature from one of the 
containers.  At the time, NNSA officials worked closely 
with officials in the port of Hamburg to exclude the three 
containers that had been shipped to Germany.  None of the 
three containers that arrived in Hamburg was found to be 
contaminated (refs B and C). 
 
GERMANY'S STATE/FEDERAL DIVISION OF LABOR POSES CHALLENGES 
 
¶5. (SBU) The German Constitution divides responsibilities 
for prevention between the federal and state governments. 
Under the Atomic Energy Act and the Radiation Protection 
Ordinance, the federal government has responsibility for 
developing security regulations, implementing and 
maintaining safeguards, and compliance with international 
conventions.  Germany's 16 states have the lead for 
detection and response but can request federal assistance 
in cases of emergency.  Although states can request federal 
assistance in case of emergency, the states are required to 
bear the cost -- even when the federal government becomes 
involved. 
 
 
BERLIN 00000628  002 OF 003 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) According to Hoffmann, the lack of standardization 
at the state level in terms of equipment and response 
scenarios often creates difficulties for federal 
authorities.  As Caspers noted, "there are no minimum legal 
standards."  States with a large number of nuclear power 
plants have considerably more experience than states 
without.  Authorities in different states also demonstrate 
varying levels of commitment, threat awareness, and 
interest in developing response capabilities.  Caspers 
noted that the discovery of traces of Polonium-210 in 
Hamburg in December 2006 following the death of former KGB 
official Alexander Litvinenko the month before (see ref D) 
was a "wake-up call" for federal authorities.  Hoffmann 
later presented a case study describing the Hamburg 
Polonium-210 incident, which highlighted the need to 
improve coordination with state authorities and 
communication with the public. 
 
¶7. (SBU) In terms of emergency response, the federal 
government's role is limited to providing technical 
expertise, analysis, and recommendations.  The federal 
government cannot provide funding and cannot take over 
emergency response.  In case of emergency, the federal 
government's role would be to coordinate and to provide 
information and recommendations to state authorities. 
 
FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT LEADS ON CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS 
 
¶8. (SBU) Although the states have the lead for emergency 
response and post-incident radiation protection, federal 
law enforcement assumes responsibility for any related 
criminal investigation.  Because of the high likelihood of 
a terrorist link in most cases, the Federal Prosecutor 
General's standard procedure would be to order the Federal 
Office for Criminal Investigation (Bundeskriminalamt, or 
BKA) to launch an investigation.  (NOTE:  The BKA can also 
take over the case without permission from the Federal 
Prosecutor General if more than one state is involved.  END 
NOTE.) 
 
THE GERMAN TASK FORCE APPROACH 
 
¶9. (SBU) In the event of a nuclear or radiological 
incident, federal provision of technical assistance would 
occur via the deployment of the Central Support Group 
(ZUB), a federal task force composed of officials from the 
BfS, the BKA, and the Federal Police (Bundespolizei) -- the 
uniformed successor force to the German border guards.  The 
Federal Police continues to patrol border areas with 
vehicles and air assets, including helicopters and fixed 
wing aircraft).  In cases of incidents involving small and 
medium-size sealed sources, states would generally handle 
response independently.  The ZUB, first established in 
2003, responds in cases involving larger sealed sources and 
open sources.  Under German law, ZUB can only become 
involved in cases where there is the loss or discovery of 
radioactive materials; serious danger to life, health, or 
property; and at the request of the state authorities when 
the state cannot undertake the required tasks itself. 
 
¶10. (SBU) During the period of deployment, the ZUB is 
overseen by a joint crisis management staff composed of 
representatives from the BMU and the Interior Ministry 
(BMI) -- the federal ministry charged with oversight of the 
BKA and the Federal Police.  According to Hoffmann, ZUB 
personnel can generally deploy within two hours of an 
incident and by deploying from four offices scattered 
around Germany, can be at the scene of an incident within 
another two hours. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Federal Police and BKA units deployed as part of 
ZUB include a specialized bomb squad, forensics experts, 
SWAT teams, covert surveillance, and Federal Police air 
assets.  In an emergency situation, BfS is charged with 
assessing criticality and risks, evaluating recovered 
materials, and estimating dispersal, radioactivity, and 
consequences.  ZUB has 75 staff members on call on a 
rotating basis.  An additional 700 experts are available to 
provide analysis in specialized areas.  The task force has 
four specialized measurement teams with mobile equipment to 
analyze food supply, detect improvised nuclear devices and 
dirty bombs, to work with local authorities to set up ad 
 
BERLIN 00000628  003 OF 003 
 
 
hoc measurement and detection teams, and to calculate 
airborne contamination. 
 
¶12. (SBU) In cases of emergency, ZUB personnel work closely 
with the crisis management structures of the affected 
state(s).  The ZUB was designed to facilitate close 
interaction among scientists, crisis management 
professionals, and law enforcement.  As a result, BfS and 
the BKA have focused on developing crisis management 
expertise and response procedures.  ZUB personnel 
participate in frequent small-scale, focused exercises and 
conduct larger, more comprehensive exercises two or three 
times per year.  According to Hoffmann, frequent exercising 
helps scientists and police build personal rapport and 
dissolves "cultural" barriers between the two groups.  The 
current focus of exercises is improving internal and 
external communication. 
 
OVERVIEW OF FEDERAL OFFICE OF RADIATION PROTECTION 
 
¶13. (SBU) BfS has an annual budget of 220 million euros, of 
which 140 million euros is devoted to maintaining three 
mines used for the disposal of radioactive waste.  The 
remaining 80 million euros puts the BfS budget on par with 
that of an average German research institution.  BfS is 
responsible for all elements of transportation of nuclear 
fuel in Germany, as well as disposal and intermediate 
storage, oversight of non-NPP nuclear technology, licensing 
of nuclear-related medical equipment, and public 
information campaigns regarding protection measures.  BfS 
is also responsible for protection and regulation of other 
forms of radiation, including electromagnetic and optical 
radiation.  In non-emergency situations, BfS provides 
technical assistance, evaluation, estimation, and advice 
for the states in the area of detection and measurement. 
BfS is responsible for implementing the EU directive on 
registration of larger radiological sources and for 
maintenance of Germany's 2200 measurement points, which 
provide full coverage of German territory. 
 
¶14. (U) This message was coordinated with ConGen Hamburg 
and has been cleared by Admiral Krol. 
 
TIMKEN JR.