Virtual Table Top Exercise

The virtual tabletop exercise will focus on the “launch phase” of an on-site inspection which commences the moment a state party submits an on-site inspection request to the CTBTO Director General.

The virtual exercise will take place in the CTBTO’s Operations Support Centre and the virtual Executive Council boardroom and would highlight the linkages between IMS event detection, IDC analysis and the activities that take place at CTBTO headquarters leading up to an Executive Council vote on the on-site inspection request.

CTBTO experts from the On-Site Inspection Division will serve as exercise facilitators and will guide participants through the exercise. CYG participants would take on the role of an Executive Council national delegate and facilitators would play the roles of the Director General, Requesting State Party representative, State Sought to be Inspected representative, and Officer in Charge of the Operations Support Centre.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the preparatory resources and participation in the virtual table top exercise, participants will gain an understanding of:

• The connection between IMS event detection, IDC analysis and distribution to member states and the submission of the on-site inspection request
• The on-site inspection request requirements as outlined in the CTBT
• The various stakeholders involved in the inspection request and preparation process, i.e., Requesting State Party, state sought to be inspected (Inspected State Party), Technical Secretariat, Director General, and the Executive Council.
• The sequence of procedures conducted by each stakeholder leading up to the vote by the Executive Council
• The role of consultation and clarification (negotiation)
• On-site inspection approval requirements (EC vote) and follow-up activities

Table Top Exercise Phases

Preparatory Phase

A package of online resources has been prepared which will help you prepare for the table-top exercise. Please review these materials by 20 October.

• Directed Treaty reading
• “Understanding On-Site Inspection” e-learning module
• OSI quiz
• Integrated Field Exercise 2014 video blogs

Table Top Exercise

The live virtual tabletop exercise will take place on 22 October from 16:00 – 18:00 Vienna time (GMT+2).

The exercise will be hosted in a Webex meeting and participants will be invited to share their video and audio feeds during the event. A minimum internet connection of 5 Mbps is recommended.

Confirmed registered participants will be provided a country assignment for role-play in the Executive Council by 20 October.

Further details and materials including information about the scenario, the timeline, etc. about the live exercise will be provided as soon as they are available.