U.S., Netherlands in nuclear security pact

The United States and the Kingdom of the Netherlands say they've expanded their cooperation to reduce global nuclear and radiological threats.

Under an agreement signed with the National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Global Threat Reduction, or GTRI, the Netherlands will continue its partnership with GTRI to secure and remove vulnerable radiological material by contributing $650,000 to the effort.

This is the Netherlands' second major cooperative activity with GTRI, and the third time the Netherlands has partnered with NNSA's nuclear nonproliferation programs, an NNSA release reported Thursday.

Under the new agreement, the Netherlands financial contribution will support GTRI's current work in Kazakhstan on projects related to the search, removal and physical protection of radiological material, officials said.

"The Kingdom of the Netherlands has made significant contributions to our joint nonproliferation commitments and is a valued partner in the global effort to reduce nuclear and radiological threats," NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Anne Harrington said.

"We look forward to many more years of cooperation between our countries to strengthen global security and prevent nuclear terrorism."

The NNSA is a semiautonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the application of nuclear science.