The Securing the Cities (STC) Program seeks to reduce the risk of a successful deployment of a nuclear terrorist weapon against a major metropolitan regions in the United States by establishing sustainable capability among state, local, and tribal agencies to detect and report unauthorized radiological/nuclear

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(rad/nuc) materials within their jurisdictions supporting the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture (GNDA).

The STC Program has three primary goals:
(1) to enhance regional capabilities to detect, identify and interdict nuclear materials that are out of regulatory control; (2) to guide the coordination of Federal, State, local and tribal entities in their roles defined by the GNDA; and (3) to encourage participants to sustain base nuclear detection program over time.

To accomplish these goals, the DNDO developed the following objectives:
Objective 1:
Assist State, local and tribal governments in developing local nuclear detection architectures resulting in awareness, training, technical support, exercises and capability development.

DNDO will use a common strategy in each STC implementation tailored for the particular requirements of that area.

This strategy will put in place a comprehensive structure for developing all architectural elements and will encompass all elements of capability development.

Objective 2:
Establish information connectivity among deployed detection systems in the interior layer and State, local, tribal, private and regional data analysis centers, to include connectivity for technical Reachback and adjudication support.

Information exchange is critical to reducing the risk of any terrorist attack.

An Operations Plan (OPLAN) will document coordination practices among partners and with DNDO.

Additionally, an Information Exchange Plan will ensure that proper and effective information sharing practices and policies are institutionalized within the region with respect to the STC Program.

Objective 3:
Establish administrative infrastructure to support nuclear detection program.

DNDO will play a major role during STC implementations to set up the managing structures that will allow the partners to develop a self-supporting program with limited Federal assistance.

Objective 4:
Establish coordination mechanisms between stakeholders for routine daily operations and focused/stepped up deployments.

An OPLAN that has concurrence from all principal STC partners is the key document defining coordination within and outside the region.

Assistance provided through this STC SFOA will allow the stakeholders to establish or enhance a sustainable regional nuclear detection program.

DHS intends to support State and local operations for nuclear detection through a three-phased STC Program that provides for the implementation of nuclear detection capabilities in eligible UASI regions.

See Appendix 1, Section A, STC Program Phases.

Subject to funding availability and acceptable performance, DNDO may execute the STC Program concurrently in other regions in and around major metropolitan regions.