Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

 

WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD) awarded a $19.9M task order to Thermo Eberline LLC under an existing Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract. The task order funds the procurement of RadEye spectroscopic personal radiation detectors for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The funding also provides CBP and TSA with associated training for the devices.

“Protecting our Nation from radiological and nuclear threats requires a whole-of-government effort,” says CWMD Acting Assistant Secretary Gary Rasicot.  “As the Department’s lead for counter-WMD efforts, this award will enable CWMD to fulfill our responsibility to coordinate with our partners across the Department to ensure they have the technologies they need to detect new and evolving threats.”

Personal radiation detectors are pager-size devices worn by operators to provide personal protection and a detection capability against radiological and nuclear threats.  These devices continuously monitor the environment to alert the user of a threat when the natural gamma and neutron radiation levels are above normal.  They also help locate the source of the detected threat.

CWMD previously awarded a total of $26.1M between 2018 and 2019 to procure RadEye spectroscopic personal radiation detectors for CBP.  This new order allows CBP to field the remainder of the detectors ahead of schedule.

CWMD serves as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s focal point for counter-WMD efforts.  By supporting operational partners across federal, state, and local levels, CWMD coordinates and manages the detection effort for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN), and health security threats.  CWMD is committed to enhancing domestic law enforcement and first responder detection, interdiction, response, and reporting of CBRN threats.

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