Registration for the 2025 Annual Conference is open. Your support will make this year’s even a success, just as you have in previous years. As the world evolves, it is imperative that we maintain our security posture; our mission has never been more critical. We invite you to join us and take advantage of this opportunity. Please register at your earliest convenience to confirm your participation and help us obtain a final headcount promptly.
It’s time to register for the TSUSG Annual Conference on
September 9 to 11, 2025, in Denver, CO.
We are pleased to announce that the TSUSG will be heading to the Rockies to convene for our annual meeting in September. This event serves as an excellent opportunity to enhance stakeholder collaboration within the transportation security sector.
Please consider attending this pivotal gathering to contribute to these essential conversations.
Get the latest on travel Information for hotel room rates.
TSUSG added category 3 material to its mission!
A category 3 quantity of radioactive material can, on its own, result in millions of dollars lost and a potential threat to public health and the environment. Our current system for verifying licenses does not adequately protect against the purchase of high-risk radioactive materials. The accessibility and versatility of Category 3 sources underline their importance while emphasizing the need for continued vigilance in their secure use and transport. Category 3 sources are widely used in industries where precision and reliability are critical, making them prevalent in manufacturing, healthcare, and infrastructure maintenance. Due to their moderate activity levels, they are more common than Category 1 & 2 sources. TSUSG has asked that Category 3 be part of our scope as we look to enhance the security of these materials during transport.
Welcome, new members, to TSUSG! We are happy to have you on board and look forward to working together to enhance the security of radioactive materials in transit. Please join us in welcoming:
Todd Angel – Office of Security Assessments
Andrew Stark – Trimble County Emergency Management
Lisa Heath – Federal Bureau of Investigation
Chris Willis – Pleasure Ridge Park Fire District
Stephanie Brock – Kentucky Radiation Health
David Jackson – Steris Applied Sterilization Technologies
Stephanie Joyce – The PulseDNA Inc.
Christy Ruggiero – Los Alamos National Laboratory
Jeff Unrau – Canadian Nuclear Laboratories
Evan Harpenau – Y-12 National Security Complex
Brandon Burke – Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Ryan Stephens – Y-12 National Security Complex
Jim Burns – City of New Berlin Emergency Management
Angela Havron – Kenosha County Division of Public Health
Matt Roe – Menasha Police Department
Sean Oesch – Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Priority Committee 8 (PC-8) – Training opportunities within TSUSG:
- PC8 is assessing the TSUSG Training Portal for opportunities to integrate the current resources into a dashboard style format.
- PC8 continues to work with the TSUSG to define and develop a training program utilizing current DOE and FBI tabletop exercises as the foundation.
- PC8 welcomes input from the TSUSG members regarding upcoming training, new training, or events that compliment the TSUSG mission.
Priority Committee 9 (PC-9) – Cybersecurity issues and mitigation options:
- PC 9 is under new leadership beginning in April! Please welcome Dr. Sean Oesch to both TSUSG and PC 9. Sam Hollifield has decided to step down to focus on his studies. While he will no longer be in the leadership role, he will remain an active member of PC 9. We want to thank Sam for his invaluable contributions and wish him the best in his academic pursuits.
- Dr. Sean Oesch leads the emerging cyber technologies group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), where he focuses on applications of AI to cybersecurity and the how to make AI secure. He is the AI for security lead for the Center for AI Security (CAISER) at ORNL and joint faculty at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Bredesen Center. His work is published at top venues in his field, including USENIX Security and CHI. Sean is passionate about securing the DOE’s critical assets, mentoring the next generation of researchers, and engaging thoughtfully with the challenges posed to worldwide stability by emergent cyber threats.
Priority Committee 10 (PC-10) – Artificial Intelligence
- PC10 covered the fundamentals of many AI methodologies – this included a soft introduction to neural networks and their applications, generative models, AI in practice, and other applications. The goal of these presentations is to show how AI can be applied to stakeholder’s workflows and its accessibility to the public.
Priority Committee 11 (PC-11) – Develop a proposed national SOP for state-by-state escorting
- Kickoff meeting is ready to be sent out to members who have signed up. Meetings start in May.
Priority Committee 12 (PC-12) – Review state-by-state inconsistencies regarding process and requirements
- Still looking for volunteers to get this PC kicked off. Volunteer today for committee for state-by-state inconsistencies
Type B packages are designed to transport material with the highest level of radioactivity, specifically high activity sources. Such packages are robust and very secure and can range in size from a bread box size to a refrigerator. They are specifically designed to maintain shielding from radiation, even under extreme accident conditions accident situations, and are licensed by the applicable competent authority (i.e. NRC) and. Requirements for Type B packaging are addressed in the regulations 49 CFR 173.411, 49 CFR 173.413, and 10 CFR 71.
Type B packages can have designations “(U)” or “(M)” (e.g., Type B (U) or Type B (M)) § U = Unilateral: the package design is approved by the country of origin. § M = Multilateral: the package design is approved by each country through or into which the package is to be transported.
Examples of sources carried in these specifically designed Type B packages include Cobalt-60 for irradiation facilities, Cesium-137 therapy sources and exposure devices, and Iridium-192 industrial radiography sources. The hazards are controlled by the strength of the package, which is designed to pass stringent “maximum credible accident “or “worst case” accident conditions, through impact, drop and puncture tests, an engulfing fire test, and immersion in water.
Type B packages may be constructed of steel with depleted uranium or lead as shielding. The weight can vary from about 25 kg to 6 tons, or more, depending on the radioactive activity of the material it is designed to contain. The shape of the package can also vary. There are over 150 certified Type B packages globally, and the larger one’s cost around $1.6 million each to produce. Once available for use, a series of qualification tests are completed to ensure it operates as it is designed to, and as regulations require, before being put into active service.
TSUSG Members: if you have anything of interest you would like to share in this section with the rest of the membership via this quarterly bulletin, please send it to [email protected] for consideration.
TAPA Annual Conference – May 6-7, 2025 – Louisville, KY
Isotope Crossroads – May 13, 2025 – Fort Worth, TX
CRCPD Annual Conference – May 19-22, 2025 – Tucson, AZ
NTSF Annual Meeting – May 19-22, 2025 – Las Vegas, NV
TSUSG FY25 Q3 Tactical Meeting (Teams) / Supply Chain Analysis / Scott Brooks- Oak Ridge National Laboratory/ June 3, 2025 (1100 – 1300EST)
Carrier Security Demonstration – June 10-11, 2024 – Oak Ridge, TN
PATRAM 25 – June 27 – August 1, 2025 – San Antonio, TX