Physical Protection Performance Testing: Assessing U.S. NRC Experience

Performance testing is an essential component of an effective, sustainable system of nuclear safeguards and security. This paper provides an overview of physical protection performance testing programs developed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to evaluate security of nuclear power plants and discusses their impact on licensee security programs. The paper then addresses potential difficulties of implementing a performance testing program and discusses why the NRC programs have been generally successful.