CONTRIBUTION OF THE U.S. SUPPORTED EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO NUCLEAR MATERIALS SECURITY IN RUSSIA

Material Protection Control & Accounting (MPC&A) Education Project supported by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the broader MPC&A cooperation effort with Russia provided one of the most valuable contributions to security of nuclear materials at Russian nuclear sites. Project supported degree programs at two Russian universities Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) and Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI). Since late 90s, when the Project was initiated, several dozens professionals graduated these programs and started their MPC&A careers, including all authors of this paper. By this moment, they work at a wide range of sites and institutions across nuclear domain. This paper reviews activity of the graduates and analyzes contribution of MPC&A Education Project to nuclear security in Russia. The paper mostly focuses on four ways in which the continuous implementation of MPC&A Education Project benefited the nuclear security. First, large pool of experts focusing on nuclear security issues and specially trained to do this work was created. Essentially, this lead to establishment of nuclear security profession in Russia. Until supported degree programs started, nuclear security was not considered independent function requiring special set of skills. Second, the Project facilitated transfer of international best practices and their integration in Russian nuclear site operations, education, and science, as it is applicable to MPC&A. This, along with studying general site operations, which is a part of the degree programs, allows the graduates to find the most effective solutions that would work in Russian environment. Third, MPC&A Education Project helped create a network of nuclear security professionals that provides strong foundation for the development of nuclear security in Russia. They interact with each other as part of their day-to- day responsibilities, as well as during multiple workshops and conferences on nuclear security related issues. Their educational and professional background, as well as personal connections contribute to resolution of existing issues and further improvement of nuclear security in Russia. Fourth, hosting of Russian interns at the U.S. facilities provided within the Project and abovementioned promotion of best practices resulted in educating experts that are now providing valuable support to the U.S.-Russia cooperation in further improvement of nuclear security