United States - Russian Cooperation on Protection, Control, and Accounting for Naval Nuclear Materials

The Russian Navy uses highly enriched uranium (20-90%) for nuclear-powered ships. This nuclear material has been categorized as “weapons-useable”, and as such, it is subject to the Material Protection, Control, and Accounting (MPC&A) Program’s goal of reducing the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation by strengthening domestic safeguards systems for nuclear materials. The fresh nuclear fuel is transported by rail from the manufacturing facility to the Navy Northern Fleet and Pacific Fleet facilities where it is stored until needed. The nuclear material is delivered to the Navy by the manufacturer as an integrated component of reactor fuel rod assemblies. The fuel rods are stored in land-based facilities and/or storage ships, referred to as “floating platforms”, until they are used to refuel ship reactors. This interim storage involves intra-site transportation, secure port facilities, service ships, and refueling facilities. Detailed operations procedures are used to establish material chain-of-custody and safeguards throughout all stages of storage and transfer.