EXBS Program Improves Slovak Border Security and Attracts Media Attention

April 15, 2008

U.S. technical experts visited Slovakia from April 15-17 to donate three state-of-the-art, hand-held metal analyzers to officers from the Slovak Customs Directorate, and to provide training in their use and maintenance. The demonstration was part of the Department of State’s ongoing collaboration with Slovak authorities under the auspices of the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) program.  The donation was made possible by the U.S. National Nuclear Safety Administration, and U.S. National Laboratories in South Carolina and Washington State, which provided the technical expertise and trainer. On April 17, TASR, the state-run news agency, reported at length on the training and donation, noting that since 2003, the EXBS program has provided over $2 million in training and equipment to Slovakia.  The U.S. experts, in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava, conducted the demonstration and delivered three portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF) metal analyzers to the Customs Directorate of the Slovak Republic. The three metal analyzers, two of which will be used along Slovakia's border with Ukraine and one of which has been assigned to a mobile team based in the capital, Bratislava, will provide Slovak Customs Officers with a fast and noninvasive way to identify metals and prevent illicit transfers of materials, equipment, and technology related to the production of weapons of mass destruction.