US to host security exercise to stop the flow of weapons of mass destruction

The United States will host Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) Exercise Fortune Guard 22 on August 8-12, 2022, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Fortune Guard 22 is part of the PSI's Asia-Pacific Exercise Rotation series. The exercise will bring together 21 countries to address the full range of weapons of mass destruction counterproliferation interdiction-related activities, from whole-of-government rapid decision-making to operational interdiction, seizure, and disposition.

Fortune Guard 22 will feature expert briefs; a scenario-based tabletop discussion; a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear response subject-matter-expert information exchange; and live exercises to demonstrate Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) interdiction capabilities.

Fortune Guard is the U.S. contribution to the Asia-Pacific Exercise Rotation series, which the United States inaugurated in 2014. Each of the Asia-Pacific Exercise Rotation host countries hosts its own exercises: Pacific Protector in Australia; Pacific Shield in Japan; Maru in New Zealand; Deep Sabre in Singapore; and Eastern Endeavor in the Republic of Korea, a State Department press release said.

The Asia-Pacific Exercise Rotation's annual dedicated series of PSI exercises builds regional WMD counterproliferation political will and capacity, and signals partners' resolve to take action to conduct counterproliferation interdiction as part of their long-term commitment to the PSI.

The PSI was established in 2003 to stop or impede transfers of WMD, their delivery systems, and related materials flowing to and from states and non-state actors of proliferation concern. Thus far, 107 states have endorsed the PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles.

In doing so, they have committed to take effective measures to interdict WMD-related transfers consistent with national law and international obligations, adopt streamlined procedures for rapid information exchange, and strengthen relevant national and international laws and frameworks.

The United States urged all remaining non-endorsers to endorse and participate in the PSI.