JORDAN / WMD EXERCISE

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) is conducting the “largest ever” Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) exercise in Jordan's desert to develop its “On Site Inspection” capabilities for when the Treaty comes into force. CTBTO

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:24
• Production Date: 17 November 2014
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR-TEST-BAN TREATY ORGANIZATION - CTBTO
• Subject Topical: NUCLEAR SCIENCE
• Geographic Subject: JORDAN
• MAMS Id: 1243576

Description

STORY: JORDAN / WMD EXERCISE
TRT: 1.24
SOURCES: CTBTO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS
DATELINE: NOVEMBER 2014, NEAR THE DEAD SEA, JORDAN

Shotlist

1. Tracking shot, aerial of desert
2. Various shots, inspectors and equipment inside the helicopter
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Matjaz Prah, On Site Inspection Coordinator, IFE14:
“On Site Inspection is a specific verification element. It is really the last verification measure which will allow member states to verify if an ambiguous event that happened is of a nuclear nature or not.”
4. Wide shot, base of operations
5. Med shot, inspectors at the meeting
6. Close up, inspectors
7. Wide shot, inspectors outside readying for exercise
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Natalie Brely, Head of Operations, OSI, IFE14:
“The object of the game is for the inspectors to go out into the inspection area, and to collect data, and to bring it back here, and to analyse the data, and at the end of the inspection to submit a report.”
9. Various shots, inspectors with equipment

Storyline

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) is conducting the “largest ever” Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) exercise in Jordanian desert to develop its “On Site Inspection” capabilities for when the Treaty comes into force.

The organizers have made the exercise as close a simulation to a real On Site Inspection as possible. The environment is very challenging, with a very rugged terrain ranging from 400m below sea level to 1000m above.

SOUNDBITE (English) Matjaz Prah, CTBTO On Site Inspection Coordinator, IFE14:


“On Site Inspection is a specific verification element. It is really the last verification measure which will allow member states to verify if an ambiguous event that happened is of a nuclear nature or not.”

The exercise has involved transporting approximately 150 tonnes of equipment from the CTBTO headquarters in Vienna, Austria, to the base of operations near the Dead Sea in Jordan.

Over 200 individuals are taking part, 40 of them playing the part of inspectors, and the remainder supporting or evaluating the project. Individual participants will apply the various techniques that would be used in a real life inspection.

SOUNDBITE (English) Natalie Brely, CTBTO Head of Operations, OSI, IFE14:
“The object of the game is for the inspectors to go out into the inspection area, and to collect data, and to bring it back here, and to analyse the data, and at the end of the inspection to submit a report.”

The inspection team can deploy up to five independent field missions each inspection day. They must investigate an area of 1000 square kilometers with the aim of finding a ground zero that might be no more than a couple of meters across.

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) bans nuclear explosions by everyone, everywhere, and it has been ratified by 163 states including the three of nuclear states: France, UK and Russian Federation. However, for the Treaty to enter into force, further 44 states with nuclear technology need to sign and ratify the Treaty.