CLEVELAND — Members of the U.S. Coast Guard and about two dozen other response agencies will come together in the greater Cleveland area Wednesday to participate in a full-scale exercise designed to enhance federal, state, and local coordination in conducting preventative radiological nuclear detection in the eastern Great Lakes.
Boaters may notice increased law enforcement activity near ports in Cleveland; Lorain, Ohio; and Fairport Harbor, Ohio, but should be aware there are no known threats in the area and the exercise is being conducted to meet a triennial training requirement.
Exercise activities will be limited to specific areas and should not significantly impact marine traffic.
The primary focus of the exercise is to practice, evaluate, and make recommendations for enhancing radiological nuclear detection capabilities.
The homeland security exercise is based on the Area Maritime Security Training and Exercise Program. The AMSTEP is focused on building relationships within the federal maritime security domain to write, review and update the area maritime security plan, in addition to supporting other transportation entities that rely upon secure ports. As the federal maritime security coordinator, the Coast Guard has the lead in coordinating such exercises.
The opportunity to practice homeland security capabilities in a realistic exercise is critical in ensuring that the Coast Guard can live up to its motto of Semper Paratus, always ready.