Year
1989
Abstract
A principal mission of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is to support basic research, energy technology development, and U.S. national security. One of the responsibilities of DOE within this context is to sponsor a research and development (program for improving international safeguards and physical protection. This base program is managed within the DOE Office of Safeguards and Security (OSS). Bilateral cooperation and technology development with other nations and international organizations is an important aspect of this base program. The successful application of safeguards requires close cooperation between the safeguarding organization that benefits from the R&D, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the nations which sponsor the R&D as well as cooperation between the nations themselves. The main benefit of this technical cooperation is discovery and acceptance of improved safeguards and physical protection concepts and measures. The DOE/OSS currently undertakes active bilateral cooperation in international safeguards and physical protection with several nations and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM). This cooperation includes joint technology development, evaluations, exchanges, and demonstrations, as well as laboratory-to-laboratory exchanges of experts. This paper discusses current bilateral technical cooperation, and is intended to provide insight to DOE/OSS activities regarding international safeguards and physical protection cooperation with the international community.