Developing Indigenous Safeguards Capabilities Within the MPC&A Program: A Transition from Near-Term Upgradesto Long-Term Sustainability

Approximately five years ago, the United States started the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program with the countries of the Former Soviet Union (FSU). The program’s purpose was to accelerate reduction of the risk of nuclear proliferation, including such threats as theft, diversion, and unauthorized possession of nuclear materials. This goal would be accomplished through near-term upgrades to strengthen the nuclear material protection, control, and accounting systems within FSU countries. In addition to this near-term goal, a long-term goal of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Material Protection, Control, and Accounting (MPC&A) program is to promote a new safeguards culture and to support the establishment of a sustaining MPC&A infrastructure in the FSU. This long-term goal is vital to assuring that the near-term upgrades remain effective for safeguarding nuclear material as these countries experience political and social changes. The MPC&A program is managed by DOE’s Russia/Newly Independent States (NIS) Nuclear Materials Security Task Force. A coordinated effort is underway to promote and to help establish a new safeguards culture and a sustaining infrastructure. Elements being implemented at both the national and site levels include system operational performance evaluations, development of MPC&A training, operational procedures, national MPC&A regulations, and adaptation of modern MPC&A methodologies to suit the conditions in the FSU countries. This paper identifies current efforts in several countries that are undergoing transition from near-term upgrades to sustainable MPC&A systems.