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U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Office Partners with Ukrainian Government to Keep Our Nations Safe
https://medium.com/u-s-embassy-kyiv/u-s-defense-threat-reduction-office-partners-with-ukrainian-government-to-keep-our-nations-safe-b25d7d62c46b
(Realted, from 2020)
Joanna Wintrol, the head of U.S. Embassy Kyiv’s Defense Threat Reduction Office, works closely with Ukrainian partners to counter threats affecting the United States, Ukraine, and other nations. As her assignment at U.S. Embassy Kyiv comes to a close, Joanna shared her thoughts about her experience working in Ukraine.
Many people have heard of the U.S. Department of Defense, but the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency is perhaps less familiar. What does your organization do?
DTRA focuses on countering threats posed by weapons of mass destruction (WMD). We focus on the full range of WMD threats — chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives. The organization also works to counter “improvised threats,” such as improvised explosive devices.
Countering these complicated threats effectively requires teamwork. That’s why DTRA officials like me work overseas at U.S. Embassies — to build strong partnerships with partners and allies to combat these threats and to exchange best practices and innovations in the fight against these threats.
What Ukrainian organizations have you collaborated with during your time here?
I’ve been working in Ukraine for the past five years, and throughout that time my team has been working closely with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defense, National Police, Security Service of Ukraine, State Border Guard Service, State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences, and others. As you can see from this long list — we work quite closely with the Ukrainian authorities!
As one example, my team has arranged hands-on trainings for the National Police, Security Service of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service to strengthen our cooperation on the topic of “dual use” items. These are items that have a legitimate purpose, but if they fall into the hands of a bad actor, they could be used to create a dangerous weapon.
Our team also is working with Ukrainian experts — through training, facilities renovations, and provision of supplies — to enhance their capabilities to respond to nuclear incidents, secure information and communication mechanisms, and prevent illegal trafficking of nuclear materials outside of regulatory control.