EVALUATION OF EXCESS NUCLEAR MATERIALS SUITABILITY FOR INTERNATIONAL SAFEGUARDS

President Clinton announced in March 1995 the permanent withdrawal of 200 tons of fissile material from the United States (US) nuclear stockpile. This action was made possible by the dramatic reduction in nuclear weapons stockpile size and a desire to demonstrate the US’ commitment to nonproliferation goals. To provide tl.wtherassurance of our cmnmitment, the US is addressing placement of these materials under International Atomic Energy Ageney (IAEA) safeguards. An initial step of this overall assessment was evaluation of the nuclear materials’ suitability for international safeguards. US Department of Energy (DOE) field organizations reviewed a detailed listing of all candidate materials with respeet to characterization status, security classification, and acceptability for international safeguards compared to speeified criteria. These criteria included form, location, environment and safety considerations, measurability, and stability. The evaluation resulted in broad categorizations of all materials with respeet to preparing and placing materials under IAEA safeguards and provided essential information for decisions on the timing for offkring materials as a function of materials attributes. A plan is being prepared to determine the availability of these materials for IAEA safeguards considering important factors such as costs, processes and facilities required to prepare materials, and impacts on other programs.