An Overview of the 17th US-IAEA “State Systems of Accounting for and Control of Nuclear Materials” Course

Material control and accountancy (MC&A) methodologies are critical when establishing an effective State Systems of Accounting for and Control (SSAC) of Nuclear Materials program. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Department of State (DOS) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have sponsored SSAC training courses over the past three decades. In 2007, for the first time, a two week course was conducted in Columbia Missouri, in partnership with the University of Missouri Research Reactor Center (MURR). In 2009 the course, now a three week program, returned to the city of Columbia and MURR. The training included examples of accounting in a major isotope producing facility, hands-on detection equipment work in analytical laboratories, and a series of lectures. Extensive work was conducted at MURR both when the reactor was operational and during a planned, half-day maintenance outage. In addition, specialized training sessions were conducted on the Small Quantities Protocol (SQP) and the Design Information Questionnaire (DIQ). This type of training is essential in improving a state’s ability to provide oversight of its facilities and providing a link between the facilities and the IAEA.