U.S. Department of Energy International Safeguards Program: Containment and Surveillance Activities

Material accounting is currently the fundamental element of International Safeguards as applied by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with Containment and Surveillance (C/S) serving an important complementary role. Because of limited IAEA resources and the increasing number of nuclear facilities, it is commonly recognized that increased reliance may have to be placed on C/S equipment. For more than a decade, C/S has been an important element of the DOE International Safeguards Program, with Sandia National Laboratories serving as the \"Center of Excellence\" for the DOE C/S activities. These activities are divided into three major categories — C/S-based Safeguards Design and Strategies, C/S Technology Development, and Technology Exchange. This paper describes the objective of each of these activities, the principal accomplishments, the current activities, and planned future activities.