INL PROGRAMS

National Security

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Since its inception in

1949, Idaho National

Laboratory has created

products and developed

solutions that are saving lives

from the home front to the

battlefield.

During World War II, INL

was a proving ground for the

U.S. Navy’s long-range

artillery weapons. In the early

1950s, the laboratory designed

and operated the Nautilus

S1W, the prototype of the

Navy’s first nuclear submarine. In recent times, INL has

become the lead manufacturer

of heavy armor for the Army’s

M1-A1 Abrams tanks,

developed systems for

detecting explosives and

nuclear materials in cargo

trucks and shipping containers, and created a Critical

Infrastructure Test Range

where the nation’s infrastructure systems can be tested and

strengthened against acts of

terrorism. For more than 55

years, Idaho National Laboratory has worked to improve

the security of our country.

Today, the laboratory’s

national and homeland

security objectives continue.

Recent national and international events – from the War

on Terrorism to the threat of

nuclear weapons – have led

INL to formulate four national

and homeland security

mission areas. Within each of

these areas, INL leverages its

scientific expertise, engineering discipline, and unique

infrastructure assets to

develop solutions to meet the

daily challenges faced by our

military, law enforcement,

National and Homeland

Security

From its early days as a Naval gunnery range,

and with more recent missions – such as

nuclear nonproliferation and critical

infrastructure protection – INL has played a

major role in the nation’s security.
INL PROGRAMS

and homeland security

communities.

Critical Infrastructure

Protection

Utilizing our Critical Infrastructure Test Range and our

integrated capabilities and

expertise in cyber security,

process control systems, and

telecommunications, INL is

uniquely positioned to

strengthen and improve the

defenses of our nation’s

critical resources. Our 890-

square-mile Test Range

allows for full-scale testing

and analysis of systems that

operate telecommunication

networks, the electric power

grid, and chemical facilities,

among others. It is an ideal

location for validating and

improving infrastructure

systems as they are challenged by age, natural

disasters, or terrorism.

Our wireless and telecommunications test capabilities

include several

cellular and fiber optic

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communications towers

complete with next-generation components, and little or

no radio-frequency interference. Additionally, INL is

authorized by the National

Telecommunications Information Administration to operate

as an experimental radio

station, allowing us to

develop wireless technologies

to improve communications

security, networking, and

reliability for private utilities

and government customers.

Recently, researchers

partnered with the Department of Homeland Security,

private utility industries, and

universities to develop risk

and vulnerability assessment

technologies to mitigate the

threats posed by cyber attacks

on computer control systems.

INL scientists and engineers

are also working jointly with

private electric utilities to

increase cyber security

standards and technologies

within Supervisory Control

and Data Acquisition Systems. Using INL’s expertise

and utility-scale, transmission

and distribution systems,

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PN97-0538-01-13

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INL’s Pulsed Photonuclear

Assessment Technology can

detect concealed nuclear

materials hidden in shipping

containers.

INL nonproliferation experts

work to convert high-enriched

uranium reactor fuel into lowenriched fuel that is not

usable for nuclear weapons.

INL’s Critical Infrastructure Test

Range includes a self-contained

power grid, pipeline system and

wireless test bed for securing the

nation’s infrastructures.
INL PROGRAMS

systems, and

training courses

to secure the

nuclear fuel cycle and prevent

the proliferation of weapons

of mass destruction.

Working with DOE’s National

Nuclear Security Administration, INL scientists are

heavily involved in reducing

the global threat of legacy

nuclear materials and facilities through the development

and deployment of proliferation-resistant nuclear fuels for

advanced research reactors.

We also work to dismantle

and secure nuclear and

radiological materials and

production facilities that pose

a threat to the United States

and to the international

community.

INL researchers – with

expertise in nuclear signatures

and detection – have applied

their knowledge to the

development of active

interrogation technologies

such as the Pulsed Photonuclear Assessment System,

which scans shipping containers for concealed nuclear

materials encased in lead.

Researchers also examine

nuclear and radiological

materials to understand their

origin and potential uses.

As advanced nuclear energy

systems expand globally, our

scientists will continue to

perform research and development to safeguard present

and future nuclear energy

systems, processes, and

materials. At the same time,

we provide comprehensive

coursework and field-training

programs to instruct first

responders and consequence

management teams to handle

radiological emergencies.

Defense Systems and

Technology

Safeguarding our soldiers

involved in global conflicts

requires innovative solutions

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researchers are analyzing and

testing both national and

international vendor systems

and providing real-time

research results.

Nuclear Nonproliferation

Building on INL’s nuclear

mission and legacy in reactor

operation and design, our

scientists and engineers are

developing technologies,

Using INL’s expertise and fullscale, independent grid,

researchers are developing

technologies to secure the

computer-aided control

systems that operate our

nation’s electricity, water and

telecommunication systems.

INL energy security researchers are developing a transmission line sensor that can

remotely detect tampering on

high-voltage power lines.
INL PROGRAMS

05-GA50464-04

A U.S. Department of Energy

National Laboratory

Ethan Huffman

(208) 526-0660

Ethan.Huffman@inl.gov

www.inl.gov/national

security

For more information:

Continued from previous page

that meet and exceed the

challenges faced in modern

warfare. INL has a long

history of supporting our

service men and women both

at home and abroad. We work

with all branches of the U.S.

military to develop technologies that protect our soldiers

and citizens.

For more than a decade, INL

has been the sole producer of

heavy armor for the Army’s

M1-A1 Abrams tank fleet.

Today, we continue our work

in this area, as we perform

research, development, and

testing on next-generation

lightweight armor for equipment and personnel. Researchers are also working to

develop low-cost, transparent

armor for vehicles and

buildings.

INL engineers have developed

technologies for the assessment of chemical weapons,

including projects in mobile

and fixed chemical munitions

assessment such as the

Mobile Munitions Assessment

System, which characterizes

nonstockpile chemical

weapons material for compliance with the Chemical

Weapons Convention, and the

portable isotopic neutron

spectroscopy (PINS) system,

which is routinely used by our

military to identify the

contents of unexploded

munitions.

Our Test Range supports trace

and bulk explosives detection,

testing, and blast effects

modeling, while our Live Fire

Range allows researchers to

calculate the impacts of

small-arms fire and rocketpropelled grenades. Our

scientists have developed the

award-winning Idaho Explosives Detection System for

the detection of standoff

explosive devices, which can

be smuggled in cargo trucks

entering military bases and

parking garages. We are also

working with the Federal

Aviation Administration to

develop technologies for

detecting trace amounts of

explosives at airports.

Using our dedicated 1,000-

foot runway and mobile

ground station, INL engineers

are testing and fitting lightweight, low-cost unmanned

aerial and ground vehicles

with sensors to perform

surveillance over large

infrastructures such as power

and gas pipelines or during

emergency events such as

forest fires.

Special Programs

INL researchers perform

essential work for customers

within the Department of

Defense and other federal

agencies.

INL recently developed a

Change Detection System that

can identify subtle changes in

digital photographs taken

minutes or weeks apart. This

award-winning technology

has applications in surveillance, but is also being looked

at as a medical tool for

analyzing changes in MRIs

and X-rays. Additionally,

researchers have developed a

solid composite polymer for

batteries that allows devices

such as GPS units and laptops

to run for longer periods of

time between charges.

Innovative Solutions

For more than a half century,

Idaho National Laboratory

scientists and engineers have

innovatively addressed some

of the country’s most pressing

security needs. As new

challenges arise, INL will

continue to be called on to

provide the solutions and

tools needed to protect our

country and its citizens.

INL’s award-winning Explosives

Detection System identifies

smuggled explosive materials in

cargo trucks entering military

bases, government facilities and

parking garages.

INL performs research,

development and testing

on next-generation

lightweight armor for

equipment and personnel.