Namibia to Host Historic Global Nuclear Monitoring Exercise

Namibia is set to make history later this year when it becomes the first African country and only the third nation in the world to host a major international nuclear monitoring simulation organised by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO).

The Integrated Field Exercise (IFE) 2026, scheduled to run from 5 October to 20 November, will test the international community’s ability to detect and investigate suspected clandestine nuclear explosions. The exercise will take place in the Erongo Region, covering an extensive area stretching from the Khan River and Khan Mine to the Rössing Mine and the Valencia project. Headquartered in Vienna, Austria, the CTBTO is the United Nations organisation responsible for verifying compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty through a global network of monitoring stations designed to detect nuclear explosions anywhere in the world.