US-China Cooperation: Insider Threat Identification and Mitigation Workshop

The United States and the People’s Republic of China have been cooperating in the field of non-proliferation under the auspices of the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Technology (PUNT) Agreement, signed in 1998. In recent years, the cooperation has spawned several productive technical exchanges. In 2006, the U.S. and China agreed to jointly develop a series of workshops for Chinese personnel on how to identify and mitigate potential threats insiders may pose to Chinese nuclear facilities. Sponsored by the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Office of International Material Protection and Cooperation (NA-25) and the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA), the initial workshop took place in Beijing China on January 14-18, 2008. The first workshop was a significant step in addressing what both sides feel is an important cooperative effort to meet the challenges of potential insider threats facing nuclear facilities world-wide. This paper describes the integrated, systematic approach used in the joint development of technical material for the workshop and the insider threat identification and mitigation challenges presented at the initial workshop.