CONSIDERATIONS FOR U.S.-RUSSIAN MPCA COOPERATION TO DEVELOP PHYSICAL PROTECTION PERFORMANCE TESTING PROGRAM IN RUSSIA

The United States is working cooperatively with Russia to improve nuclear material protection, control and accounting (MPC&A) at tens of sites of the Russian nuclear complex. MPC&A upgrades have been completed at over 25 sites in Russia and other former Soviet republics. The upgrades have improved the deterrence and protective capabilities of the nuclear security systems against relatively low-level threats. However, these new systems could be ineffective against a determined, knowledgeable and resourceful adversary. There is also a concern that newly improved security systems might be not sustainable over time in the absence of a fully developed safeguards culture and an effective regulatory oversight. The U.S. experience suggests that these problems cannot be addressed successfully without an effective program of performance testing. This report reviews the physical protection performance testing program developed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). It then seeks to outline a cooperative U.S.-Russian approach to establishing a performance testing capability within the Russian nuclear complex.