Tactical Vulnerability Assessment Training Program

The Department of Energy sponsors a 9-day training program for individuals who are responsible for evaluating and planning safeguards systems and for preparing DOE Master and Security Agreements (MSSAs). These agreements between DOE headquarters and operations offices establish required levels of protection. The curriculum includes: (1) the nature of potential insider and outsider threats involving theft or diversion of special nuclear material, (2) use of computerized tools for evaluating the effectiveness of physical protection and material control and accountability systems and (3) methods for analyzing the benefits and costs of safeguards improvements and for setting priorities among proposed upgrades. The training program is varied and highly interactive. Presentations are intermixed with class discussions and hands-on analysis using computer tools. At the end of the program, participants demonstrate what athey have learned in a two-and-a-half day \"field exercise,\" which is conducted on a facility scale-model. The training program has been conducted six times and has been attended by representatives of all DOE facilities. Additional sessions are planned at four-month intervals. This paper describes the training program, use of the tools in preparing MSSAs for various DOE sites, and recent extensions and refinements of the evaluation tools.