DEVELOPMENTS IN THE IAEA’S NUCLEAR SECURITY SERIES AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION GUIDANCE DOCUMENT INFCIRC/225

The IAEA’s guidance document The Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities (INFCIRC/225) has long been considered the internationally accepted standard for nuclear physical protection, and the practical complement to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material. It is not a legally binding instrument as such, but it is given legally binding effect in some bilateral nuclear safeguards agreements that prescribe INFCIRC/225 as the standard to be applied to nuclear material supplied under such agreements. INFCIRC/225 has been updated several times, the current version being INFCIRC/225/Rev.4. Revision 4 is undergoing a major revision, and the new document, INFCIRC/225.Rev.5, will become a key recommendations document in the IAEA’s newly launched Nuclear Security Series. This paper will focus on two aspects of the development of INFCIRC/225 and the IAEA’s Nuclear Security Series (NSS), from the perspective of a nuclear security regulator and administrator of bilateral nuclear safeguards agreements. First, the main differences between INFCIRC/225/Rev.4 and INFCIRC/225/Rev.5 will be described, focusing on what these changes may mean for a facility operator and regulator. Second, the paper will discuss the evolving philosophy behind the NSS, how Revision 5 fits within this structure, and the possible direction of future revisions of Revision 5 to fit this structure. Given the centrality of INFCIRC/225 in many bilateral nuclear safeguards agreements, any future evolution of this document would need to be managed carefully.