International experts in protective suits collect samples during a field exercise designed to test procedures for investigating suspected nuclear test explosions in Namibia's Erongo Region. Photo: Namibia Times

NNA News - Namibia is hosting about 250 international experts for an exercise to test the procedures and equipment used to investigate suspected nuclear test explosions, strengthening preparations for the international verification system established under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).

The Integrated Field Exercise 2026, known as IFE26, runs from 10 October to 20 November in the Erongo Region. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) said the exercise is designed to assess whether inspection teams can operate effectively in conditions resembling a real investigation.

Participants include inspection teams nominated by treaty signatories, national technical experts, CTBTO personnel and external evaluators. About 150 tonnes of technical and support equipment have been transported to Namibia by sea and air.

CTBTO Executive Secretary Robert Floyd said on-site inspections would provide a means of establishing what happened when monitoring data raises questions about possible nuclear testing.

“While we rely on the International Monitoring System (IMS) for detecting nuclear test explosions, the final confirmation must still come from what is found on the ground, which is where on-site inspection will complete the picture,” Floyd said in the organisation's announcement of Namibia's hosting role.

The exercise includes establishing a temporary base of operations in Swakopmund and carrying out field activities in a designated inspection area in the Erongo Region. Teams will test inspection techniques, field operations, data management and logistical arrangements.

Oleg Rozhkov, director of the CTBTO's On-Site Inspection Division, said the exercise would bring together experts to evaluate the system's operational capabilities.

“IFE26 is expected to bring together around 250 participants from across the world, who will apply their training and expertise in a scenario designed to be as close to a real on-site inspection as possible,” Rozhkov said.

Namibia's Minister of International Relations and Trade, Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, said hosting the exercise demonstrated the country's commitment to nuclear disarmament and support for international verification efforts, according to the statement reported by Xinhua.

Under the CTBT, on-site inspections are intended to clarify whether a nuclear test explosion has taken place. Once the treaty enters into force, a state party may request an inspection, but the request must be approved by the CTBTO Executive Council.

The treaty prohibits nuclear explosions, but it has not yet entered into force because ratification by all 44 states listed in its Annex 2 is required. The CTBTO says nine of those ratifications remain outstanding.

Namibia signed the treaty in 1996 and ratified it in 2001. It also hosts two certified facilities near Tsumeb that form part of the International Monitoring System, which uses seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide technologies to detect possible nuclear explosions.

IFE26 is the third large-scale integrated field exercise organised by the CTBTO, following exercises in Kazakhstan in 2008 and Jordan in 2014. The Namibia exercise is intended to assess current inspection capabilities, identify areas for improvement and strengthen readiness for the treaty's verification regime.