STRUCTURE OF A DESIGN BASIS THREAT (DBT) WORKSHOP

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s Information Circular 225, Revision 4 (Corrected), The Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities (INFCIRC/225/Rev.4.) recommends that a Design Basis Threat (DBT) be created by the State and be used to design and evaluate physical protection systems at nuclear facilities. To assist IAEA Member States develop their DBT, Sandia National Laboratories created a “Design Basis Threat Workshop” based on 30 years of experience of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Sandia presented this workshop in the Czech Republic in 1999 and in Poland and Ukraine in 2000. After each workshop, the effectiveness of the presentations and the applicability of the material were evaluated by an international team of observers. In 2000, representatives from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the IAEA met to modify the workshop material and to define an “international standard model” for the creation and use of the DBT. This paper describes the workshop preparation, conduct, and conclusion, resulting in the following four outcomes: 1. A draft Threat Assessment specific to the State, 2. Insight into how to apply the Threat Assessment in the State to produce a DBT, 3. Understanding the roles and responsibilities relating to the creation and maintenance of the DBT, and 4. Increased discussion and interaction among State agencies.