Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG) Exercise Task Group

The Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG) is a forum for informal collaboration among official nuclear forensics practitioners who share a common interest in preventing illicit trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials out of regulatory control. Together, this community of scientists, law enforcement personnel, and regulators work to advance the best practices of nuclear forensics largely through the participation in a series of Collaborative Materials Exercises (CMX). These exercises are designed to target questions of both a legal and national security nature. With respect to legal aspects of nuclear forensics, participants may be asked to make determinations on basic law enforcement and first responder issues of importance to include whether the material is radioactive or dangerous, or whether the material in question is consistent with material which is illegal to possess (e.g., Highly Enriched Uranium). With regards to national security issues, more advanced information is sought to include whether the origin of the material could be identified or whether or not the material is similar to materials of a known origin or history. Each CMX is executed using well-characterized materials of a known history and origin taken from specific process locations within the nuclear fuel cycle. These materials are used as the basis of exercise materials, as opposed to laboratory-generated pure phase certified reference materials, in order to fully consider the potential significance of process-derived heterogeneities and characteristics suggestive of the material history. In addition, while it is the goal of the ITWG to publish a summary of the major outcomes from each exercise, results from the individual laboratories are held in confidence and only revealed at the discretion of the individual participating laboratory. To date, three such exercises have been conducted since the first in 1996. These exercises have involved a total of 15 laboratories from 14 nations and the European Commission. This presentation summarizes the major technical achievements and challenges identified through the completion of ITWG CMXs over the last 16 years and introduces the design elements of the next CMX, to be executed in 2014.