Thinking multiculturality in the age of hybrid threats: Converging cyber and physical security in Akkuyu nuclear power plant

Abstract

Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) are the most protected facilities among all critical infrastructures (CIs). In addition to physical security, cyber security becomes a significant concern for NPPs since swift digitalization and overreliance on computer-based systems in the facility operations transformed NPPs into targets for cyber/physical attacks. Despite technical competencies, humans are still the central component of a resilient NPP to develop an effective nuclear security culture.Turkey is one of the newcomers in the nuclear energy industry, and Turkish Akkuyu NPP has a unique model owned by an international consortium. Since Turkey has limited experience in nuclear energy industry, specific multinational and multicultural characteristics of Turkish Akkuyu NPP also requires further research in terms of the Facility's prospective nuclear security. Yet, the link between “national cultures” and “nuclear security” is underestimated in nuclear security studies. By relying on Hofstede's national culture framework, our research aims to address this gap and explore possible implications of cross-national cultural differences on nuclear security. To cope with security challenges in the age of hybrid threats, we propose a security management model which addresses the need for cyber-physical security integration to cultivate a robust nuclear security culture in a multicultural working environment.