Over the past couple years USI has built a relationship with the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO). DNDO was established within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on April 15, 2005, with the President’s signature under National Security Presidential Directive-43/Homeland Security Presidential Directive-14 (NSPD-43/HSPD-14). These documents directed the DHS Secretary, in coordination with the Secretaries of State, Defense, Energy, and the Attorney General, to establish the national level DNDO. DNDO’s mission is to protect the United States, its people, territory, and its interests against the unauthorized importation, possession, storage, transportation, development, or use of an unauthorized nuclear explosive device, fissile material, or radiological material and protect against attacks using such devices or material.
USI provides support to the Systems Engineering Support Program (SESP) with the objective of enhancing DNDO’s ability to substantially reduce the risk of radiological/nuclear (rad/nuc) terrorism against the United States by continuously improving capabilities to deter, detect, respond to, and attribute attacks, in coordination with domestic and international partners. USI accomplishes this by continuing to identify of Critical Operational Issues (COI), define associated performance metrics, and assist in the development, iterative updates and configuration management of foundational technical capabilities documentation. USI assists with the development of system-level performance specifications and associated verification strategies. Services involve abstract or concept studies and analysis, requirements analysis and definition, and preliminary planning.
USI also performs modeling, analysis and trade studies support to assist in the development of Analyses of Alternatives (AoAs) of competing detection systems and in designing scientifically defensible testing scenarios that establish the envelope of detector performance and capability. Various techniques are utilized to assist in the Test and Evaluation (T&E) associated with the development of prototypes, engineering development models, limited rate initial production units, and full rate production systems. Support also includes development, elaboration, and conversion of a system (or subsystem, program, project, activity) concept into a preliminary and detailed design (engineering plans and specifications); risk identification, analysis, and mitigation; and efforts to ensure requirements traceability; and the proper integration of the various components that comprise a system.
