The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s International Involvement

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has an extensive history of engagement with international partners, both in government and industry. As the regulator for the U.S. commercial nuclear industry, NRC is uniquely poised to exchange information, cooperate and assist other countries on a number of nuclear security, safeguards and safety matters. NRC staff and senior management have served on U.S. delegations negotiating and implementing bilateral and multilateral nuclear-related treaties and agreements, such as the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM), the Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources, the Convention on Nuclear Safety, the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management and U.S. bilateral Agreements for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation (Peaceful Uses Agreement). NRC also has bilateral technical information exchange arrangements with 40 countries and Taiwan, which provide a framework for cooperation and assistance activities. Technical experts routinely hold consultations with representatives of various countries on topics spanning the nuclear spectrum, including nuclear safety and safeguards, physical protection, transportation safety and security, reactor design, emergency preparedness, and government regulation and infrastructure. NRC regularly participates in numerous ongoing activities under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), such as the Commission on Safety Standards and its committees, the development of the IAEA’s Nuclear Security Series, implementation of the U.S.-IAEA Safeguards Agreement and the U.S.-IAEA Additional Protocol (USAP) at NRC licensees, the International Nuclear Event Scale, and a wide variety of IAEA Technical Meetings. NRC’s corporate experience implementing programs in these and many other areas has both enhanced and been rewarded by the staff’s interaction and sharing of best practices with nuclear professionals worldwide. This paper provides a brief overview of the agency’s program of international activities, and focuses on NRC’s efforts in physical protection and nuclear safeguards.