Nuclear Safeguards And Nuclear Security Trainings At EUSECTRA

The European Nuclear Security Training Centre (EUSECTRA) is located at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centres in Karlsruhe and Ispra. Its main objective is to strengthen states’ Nuclear Security and Nuclear Safeguards capabilities through scenario-based training with real nuclear and radioactive materials. Nuclear Security trainings are targeted to a variety of competent experts. Additionally, under the EURATOM legal framework EUSECTRA provides specialised nuclear safeguards training aimed at nuclear safeguards inspectors from organisations such as International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and DG-ENERGY. EUSECTRA’s nuclear security objective is to provide states the means to mitigate threats related to material out of regulatory control, nuclear- and radioactive incidents, illicit trafficking, nuclear security, nuclear proliferation, criminal intend and nuclear terrorism. A large selection of nuclear materials, incl. uranium and plutonium samples with varying enrichment grade and different elemental and isotopic composition, are used at EUSECTRA. All training modules are integrated coherently into a tailored training curriculum. The team of trainers includes EUSECTRA’s training professionals who administer, assist and supervise all trainings. Another core capability are Nuclear Safeguards related trainings, one of which are dedicated trainings for Nuclear Safeguards Inspectors and relevant monitoring experts on Neutron Coincidence Counting and high-resolution gamma spectroscopy. Furthermore, within the European Commission’s support program to the IAEA the so-called Additional Protocol Exercise (APEX) is provided to IAEA Safeguards Inspectors as a means to identify potential indicators and signatures of activities and to strengthen cooperation and expand synergies for mutual benefit. The recent and still ongoing Covid 19 crisis has led to a curtailment of physical trainings, which are still the backbone of EUSECTRA’s activities and shifted emphasis to online and distance trainings. Hybrid and distance learning courses have been developed. In parallel, highly interactive eTraining modules are being developed. EUSECTRA continues to transfer into a flexible and adaptable training platform that is as interactive as possible and where state of the art technology and equipment are integrated seamlessly into our training modules. The focus will remain on field- /practical exercises making full use of EUSECTRA’s broad range of equipment, scenarios and the wide spectrum of nuclear and radioactive material.