The Special Escort Group (Ministry of Defence Police) or SEG (MDP) are a specialised unit of the

Ministry of Defence Police The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) is a civilian special police force which is part of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence. The MDP's primary responsibilities are to provide armed security and counter terrorism services to designated hig ...

. It is primarily responsible for the movement of all

nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

and Defence Special Nuclear Material within the United Kingdom.

Role

The SEG conduct

convoys, by road, between AWE Burghfield and

RNAD Coulport Royal Naval Armaments Depot Coulport, shortened to RNAD Coulport, on Loch Long in Argyll, Scotland, is the storage and loading facility for the nuclear warheads of the United Kingdom's Trident programme. The base, near the village of Coulport ...

, and

special nuclear material Special nuclear material (SNM) is a term used by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of the United States to classify fissile materials. The NRC divides special nuclear material into three main categories, according to the risk and potential for its d ...

s by road, rail, and air. Special nuclear materials within the UK are defined as:

tritium Tritium ( or , ) or hydrogen-3 (symbol T or H) is a rare and radioactive isotope of hydrogen with half-life about 12 years. The nucleus of tritium (t, sometimes called a ''triton'') contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus o ...

enriched uranium Enriched uranium is a type of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 (written 235U) has been increased through the process of isotope separation. Naturally occurring uranium is composed of three major isotopes: uranium-238 (238 ...

and

depleted uranium Depleted uranium (DU; also referred to in the past as Q-metal, depletalloy or D-38) is uranium with a lower content of the fissile isotope than natural uranium.: "Depleted uranium possesses only 60% of the radioactivity of natural uranium, hav ...

and

plutonium Plutonium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibi ...

, as well as new and used reactor fuel from Royal Navy submarines. The SEG provides the staff for the close escort and traffic management of nuclear weapons convoy movements. During these convoy movements it works alongside military personnel from

Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines The 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines (43 Cdo FP Gp RM), formerly Comacchio Company Royal Marines (1980–1983), Comacchio Group Royal Marines (1983–2001) and Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines (2001–2012), is a 550-man un ...

and

Atomic Weapons Establishment The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) is a United Kingdom Ministry of Defence research facility responsible for the design, manufacture and support of warheads for the UK's nuclear weapons. It is the successor to the Atomic Weapons Research ...

civilian staff. Rail escorts include radiological safety escorts with railway personnel. There is liaison with local police forces whilst the convoy is en route.

Nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...

convoys are regularly monitored by the

nuclear disarmament Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the Atomic nucleus, nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics *Nuclear ...

campaigning network ''NukeWatch UK'' and convoys have, on occasion, been disrupted by anti-nuclear weapon protesters. The SEG may escort other

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

assets, and has escorted

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

munitions Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

(such as during

Operation Telic Operation Telic (Op TELIC) was the codename under which all of the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on ...

). It also provides specialist support, to other units of the Ministry of Defence Police and elsewhere; such as ceremonial duties during the visit of the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

HMNB Portsmouth His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is lo ...

for

Trafalgar 200 The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (18 ...

Location

The SEG is based at AWE Aldermaston near

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, Southeast England, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers River Thames, Thames and River Kennet, Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 mot ...

. Training there includes emergency procedures and tactical firearms support. Exercise scenarios include counter terrorism exercises, anti-nuclear protest tactics and convoy armed security.

Nuclear accidents

In the event of a

nuclear accident A nuclear and radiation accident is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as "an event that has led to significant consequences to people, the environment or the facility. Examples include lethal effects to individuals, lar ...

, responsibility for coordinating a response falls to the Nuclear Accident Response Organisation (NEO), part of the

. An ''Immediate Response Force'' would be embedded within the convoy, or in the case of air transport be ready to fly by helicopter to the scene. Each is commanded by an MoD ''Incident Co-ordinator''. Within 24 hours a ''Follow on Force'' can be deployed if required. The Ministry of Defence Police would co-ordinate a joint response with the United States for accidents involving U.S. nuclear warheads or nuclear materials within the United Kingdom. Detailed public emergency plans are drawn from the Local Authority & Emergency Services Information (LAESI) plans.

References

{{reflist

External links

MoD Police Website
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060829082259/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/Reports/OtherPublications/DSC/DsandcnarReportLocalAuthorityEmergencyServicesInformation.htm Local Authority & Emergency Services Information (LAESI) 4th Edition] Ministry of Defence Police Trident (UK nuclear programme) 1991 establishments in the United Kingdom Transport law in the United Kingdom Transit police departments Government agencies established in 1991

Role

Location

Nuclear accidents

See also

References

External links