Safeguards R&D Programs in the United States

The United States has for many decades served as a major source of leadership and technology for international safeguards. This effort leveraged significant investments made by the United States domestic safeguards research and development (R&D) program. The U.S. continues to build on those early contributions and remains committed to developing technologies that support the international safeguards system. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) have taken a comprehensive approach to meet the growing safeguards R&D needs and to revitalize the U.S. safeguards technology base. Within NNSA, the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative in the Office of Nonproliferation and International Security focuses on near-term technology applications, mid-term technology approaches, and advanced concepts. The Office of Nonproliferation Research and Development’s Global Safeguards R&D Program supports long-term safeguards R&D. The Safeguards Campaign in the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy’s Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative focuses on developing advanced safeguards technologies and methods for future domestic applications. These three programs constitute a broad-based U.S. approach to identifying and addressing safeguards R&D needs and provide a platform for collaboration with other governments, universities, and industry. This paper summarizes these safeguards programs and the R&D activities they support.