Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) within Nuclear Weapon Dismantlement Verification

Over recent years, increased attention and emphasis has been placed on investigating technologies that might be used to provide Chain of Custody of nuclear weapons as part of a dismantlement monitoring regime. Chain of Custody, in this context, is a connected series of procedures and technologies designed to account for Treaty Accountable Items (TAIs) throughout the dismantlement process, and provide confidence that no attempt has been made to tamper with, spoof or divert material. The objective of this investigation was to assess the use of Non- Destructive Evaluation (NDE) techniques within a Chain of Custody regime. Non-Destructive Evaluation is a procedure which covers the inspection and/or testing of any material, component or assembly, by techniques which do not affect its ultimate serviceability. Within a Chain of Custody regime, this approach might be used to provide evidence of an unauthorised attempt to penetrate through a boundary (such as a door panel or the side of a container), to uniquely identify a container or to authenticate inspection equipment without the need for disassembly.