Training in Enhanced Observational Skills for International Safeguards Inspectors

The training described in this paper, developed for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA or Agency) through the United States Program for Technical Assistance to IAEA Safeguards (POTAS), is intended to support a range of measures undertaken by the Agency to strengthen the international safeguards system. The course has three primary learning objectives: (1) to help change inspectors' attitudes about their inspection roles – that is, to encourage them to be more inquisitive and observant, (2) to sensitize inspectors to perceptual principles that affect their ability to be more observant, and (3) to provide practical examples and exercises that help inspectors develop skills and abilities in perception, recognition, attention, memory, mental imaging, and judgment. This training emphasizes generic skills: it helps inspectors understand what it means to be observant, what strategies and techniques can improve their observational skills, and how such skills contribute to more effective safeguards inspections. The course teaches inspectors to observe more effectively (“how to look”); a separate proliferation indicators course teaches inspectors where to focus their observation (“what to look for”). Thus the two types of training complement each other, and the current IAEA training program schedules these courses in tandem.