TECHNICAL COOPERATION BETWEEN THE U.S. AND THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION TO ENHANCE NUCLEAR MATERIALS PROTECTION, CONTROL AND ACCOUNTING TRAINING AT THE RUSSIAN METHODOLOGICAL AND TRAINING CENTER

The development of the Russian Methodological and Training Center (RMTC) has been an important element of MPC&A cooperation between the U.S. and the Russian Federation (RF). The RMTC, located at the Institute of Physics and Power Engineering (IPPE) in Obninsk, Russia has been designated by the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy (Minatom) to provide nuclear materials protection, control and accounting (MPC&A) training to Minatom and the Federal Nuclear and Radiation Safety Authority (Gosatomnadzor) personnel. Following the political changes within the RF that resulted in fragmentation of centralized control and management of nuclear materials, the RF embarked on an effort to upgrade its state system of accountancy and control (SSAC) of nuclear materials. This situation created the need to provide widespread training to Russian MPC&A specialists in new methods and modern technologies. The RMTC was established to provide centralized training and implementation support in these areas, as well as provide a forum for discussions between plant operators and inspectors. During the period of U.S.-Russian cooperation, significant progress has been made in Russian training program development and upgrades to the RMTC. Enhanced training facilities are in operation, laboratory and other training equipment has been installed, and over 35 courses have been developed. The majority of these have been jointly developed and taught. In addition, Mobile Training Teams have been established to teach “Tamper- Indicating Device Program” and “Bar-code Technology” courses on-site at facilities. The RMTC infrastructure has been strengthened and a strategic plan for the long-term sustainability of the RMTC, and development of regional training capabilities has been completed. The future directions of this project will focus on initiatives designed to ensure continued development of indigenous Russian training capabilities and viability of the RMTC. This paper describes U.S.-Russian collaboration to date, discusses accomplishment, and outlines future developmental activities for the RMTC.