U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan hosts Snow Leopard Exercise
Tajikistan, the Netherlands, Romania, and the United States collaborated with the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime to host the Snow Leopard Tabletop Exercise in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The exercise took place from May 30 to June 1, 2023, and identified effective regional cooperation mechanisms for investigating and prosecuting radiological/nuclear (R/N) crimes. Strong cooperation and information sharing against R/N threats are more important than ever before, especially with the mobility of people and materials in the global economy. Exercises like Snow Leopard bring together experts from different countries to build relationships, encourage the implementation of national legal frameworks, and improve capabilities to deny and disrupt terrorist acquisition of weapons of mass destruction materials, expertise, and equipment. The exercise developed participant understanding of the relevance and applicability of international legal frameworks against acts of R/N terrorism, including the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. Deterring, detecting, and stopping R/N terrorism is crucial to safeguarding a nation’s security interests.
