CHALLENGES OF VALIDATING NUCLEAR MATERIALS INVENTORIES

One of the results of the former Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary’s 1999 Security Initiative was to establish and staff the Office of Plutonium, Uranium, and Special Materials Inventory, hereafter referred to as the Office. Upon transition to the new Administration, one of the first actions of the new Secretary of Energy, Spencer Abraham, was to embrace its original concept by issuing the following statements to the DOE complex: “It is essential for the Department to speak with one voice on questions regarding our nation’s nuclear material inventory. We will, therefore, utilize the Office of Plutonium, Uranium, and Special Materials Inventory to resolve such questions. That Office will be the Department’s sole point of contact for inventory data reporting.” “This Office serves as the “Office of Record” for tracking and reporting inventory data for nuclear materials subject to special control and accountability requirements due to their strategic and monetary value. It is also responsible for assessing the quality and validating the accuracy of this data.”*