The Benefits of Exercising - Using tabletops, simulations and practical experiences to strengthen disarmament verification approaches

PANEL DISCUSSION:The challenges associated with verifying cooperative, multilateral nuclear dismantlement processes are often acknowledged but still not fully understood. While the relationship between design and prototyping is well understood in other fields, it is not possible for all countries to “test drive” new instruments or processes in the field when it comes to nuclear disarmament verification. However, it is important to engage in a way where creativity and innovation are encouraged and practical experience can be gained. A small number of international initiatives have, therefore, undertaken to expand the technical and policy community’s understanding of challenges, identify new areas of study and test conclusions. The benefits of these nuclear disarmament verification exercises include both technical and political elements. This panel will discuss these benefits and their lessons learned about ways to best realize them for all participants.