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If you live in the Midwest and and see a bunch of emergency personnel who look like they’re responding to a nuclear power plant explosion over the next week, don’t be alarmed. The U.S. and Canadian governments are running an exercise across multiple states to prepare for any potential nuclear disaster. And as long as you don’t see a mushroom cloud in the distance, you’re probably fine.
The Department of Energy put out a press release on Thursday announcing that 70 local, state, provincial, and federal agencies from the U.S. and Canada will be running an exercise called Cobalt Magnet 25 from March 14-21. At least 3,000 people will be participating in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Ontario, which simulates a nuclear power plant accident.
Cobalt Magnet 25 has been in the works for 18 months and will enable response teams to practice scanning for radiological materials and providing emergency services to the population. Getting essential services back online are also part of the drill. The National Nuclear Safety Administration, a part of the Department of Energy, put out the word so that people aren’t panicked if they see emergency responders running around.
“During the exercise, members of the public may see response personnel in protective clothing using radiological monitoring and detection equipment, low-flying aircraft conducting data-gathering overflights, and groups of first responders and others staged at various locations. There will be no need for alarm,” the press release reads. “Cobalt Magnet 25 is part of a regular program of training, exercises, and planning for the partners to prepare in case of public health and safety emergency.”
These kinds of drills emerged in the 1970s as a way to train for the unthinkable. The U.S. was experiencing a rash of nuclear extortion attempts, which led to the creation of the Nuclear Emergency Search Team, now known as the Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST).
“The Nuclear Emergency Support Team—or NEST—is trained to provide decision-makers with timely, actionable scientific advice during radiological incidents,” said Dr. Wendin Smith, the the deputy under secretary for counterterrorism and counterproliferation at the Department of Energy.
The NEST team is often training for a worst-case scenario, whether it’s an intentional terrorist act involving nuclear material or an accidental incident like those at Chernobyl or Three Mile Island in the 1970s and 80s.
“We exercise to validate our ability to quickly determine the extent and severity of radiological hazards, whether and how the public is affected, and enable the optimal response,” said Smith. “If such a scenario did take place, this would save lives and reduce public impacts. NEST’s core mission is providing this critical information to local, state, and federal leaders as soon as possible.”
Unfortunately, President Donald Trump and his billionaire stooge Elon Musk don’t seem to understand how vital NEST’s work is. They fired hundreds of staff at NNSA, only to hire them back after these idiots learned that the Department of Energy is the agency in charge of keeping our nuclear weapons safe and responding to any nuclear accidents.
Again, you probably don’t need to worry if you see a bunch of nuclear specialists in the Midwest this weekend. But it does seem notable these drills still involve America’s friends from Canada. Trump has repeatedly suggested he’s going to invade the country, historically one of America’s greatest allies. And Canadians are understandably upset with the completely unnecessary provocation as Trump says he wants to make it the “51st state.”
Here’s hoping Cobalt Magnet 26 still has plenty of Canadians participating. Because if they aren’t, it means the U.S. is going to be a lot less safe for a host of reasons.
