IMPLEMENTATION OF US/GOSATOMNADZOR PHYSICAL PROTECTION INSPECTION EXERCISE

The Gosatomnadzor (GAN) Inspector training project (GAN Project 5) has provided qualitytraining opportunities to GAN inspectors for the past five years. The majority of this training has focused on the accountability and control of special nuclear material for both item and bulk facilities, as well as the theoretical aspects of physical protection. During the past 18 months the GAN 5 project team, along with selected GAN inspectors, has developed an inspection exercise program which provided a framework where the theoretical aspects of the physical protection of special nuclear material could be applied in a “real-world environment”. This has given the GAN inspectors unique first hand exposure to the U.S physical protection inspection approaches and techniques. As a result of the exposure to these new ideas GAN may alter their inspection techniques and laws. An important part of any physical protection site inspection is the evaluation of protective forces, primarily where the protective forces are responsible for operating and maintaining intrusion detection equipment (i.e., sensors and alarms). The Russian Ministry of the Interior Troops (MVDIT) is responsible for the protection of nuclear material at sites throughout the Russian Federation. The GAN 5 project has therefore included officers from the MVD in training exercises. Extensive exchange has occurred between the MVD and GAN inspectors regarding system performance inspection techniques as well as protection strategies. The ideas that have been shared between the MVD and the U.S through the GAN 5 project ensure continued security of Russian nuclear assets well into the future. This paper describes the developmental process for creating an international training exercise and will benefit anyone currently developing or contemplating the establishment of an international training program. Key elements in the implementation of the exercise include the determination of training needs, the design of the exercise, and overcoming classification/export control issues. The presentation will also describe the evaluation process used to increase the effectiveness of the next iteration of the exercise.