The Nuclear Security Women (NSW) initiative was established in 2020 by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of International Nuclear Security within the National Nuclear Security Administration. The Office of International Nuclear Security (INS) leads the U.S. government’s international efforts to prevent theft and sabotage of nuclear facilities and material worldwide. They do this by partnering with global agencies such as the IAEA, and by working bilaterally with over 50 partner countries around the world to build the physical infrastructure and human capital necessary to have effective nuclear security practices, systems, and facilities. It was through these bilateral and regional engagements that INS leadership observed how often women were in the minority at meetings, training events, and technical exchanges. Either that, or they weren’t in the room at all. Rather than simply observe and take note of the lack of female representation, they decided to do something about it, and stood up the NSW initiative. This call to action was inspired by the belief that a more diverse and inclusive nuclear security workforce will lead to greater effectiveness in meeting today’s nuclear security challenges and produce more resilience and sustainability in the nuclear security field. This paper will describe the goals and activities conducted by NSW, including past, current, and future undertakings. By doing so, this paper will inform the INMM community of the NSW, including its research initiatives and partner organizations. In addition, by describing the NSW’s past, current and future undertakings, INMM participants will learn of ways to help promote or contribute to this important work.
Year
2022
Abstract