From November 9-11, 2022, Italy, the Kingdom of Morocco, and the United States hosted the Mediterranean (MED) Trident Tabletop Exercise in Rome, Italy in collaboration with the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the European Union (EU). The three-day multilateral activity demonstrated best practices and helped to strengthen regional cooperation related to the detection of radiological/nuclear (R/N) materials at maritime ports, crime scenes, and the coordination of subsequent nuclear forensics investigations.
The exercise developed participant understanding of the applicability of international legal frameworks against acts of R/N terrorism, including the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT). In addition, the exercise encouraged discussions on the limitations and strengths of different international cooperation mechanisms, promoting dialogue among experts from nearly 20 participating countries and relevant government agencies. These included individuals from border control, customs, regulatory authorities, law enforcement, prosecutors, and nuclear forensics experts, among others.
Deterring, detecting, and stopping R/N terrorism is of the utmost importance to any nation, and exercises like MED Trident help to bring together experts from a variety of disciplines and nations to share experiences, information, build relationships, and encourage the implementation of national legal frameworks. These exercises enable countries to improve their capabilities to deny and disrupt terrorist and other non-state actor acquisition of weapons of mass destruction materials, expertise, and equipment.
Italy and Morocco are both key U.S. partners in counterterrorism cooperation, working closely to safeguard our countries’ national security interests. Together with the United States and Niger, Morocco and Italy chair the Africa Focus Group of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Morocco.
