VISA--A METHOD FOR EVALUATING THE PERFORMANCE OF A FACILITY SAFEGUARDS SYSTEM

A method is under development for §valuating the performance of a nuclear facility safeguards system for defeating attempts of theft or sabotage. The most important challenge of the work lies in defining a framework which is complete, in the sense that it considers all items known to be important in such an assessment. The method consists of a series of analytical techniques which determine a figure-of-merit for the system capability to prevent an adversary from achieving his objective. Results from the use of a preliminary version of the method indicate it has practical value for use in safeguards design, licensing and policy applications.