PNNL

Abstract

As the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) implements a State Level Approach to its safeguards verification responsibilities, a number of countries are beginning new nuclear power programs and building new nuclear fuel cycle faculties. The State Level approach is holistic and investigatory in nature, creating a need for transparent, non-discriminatory judgments about a state’s nonproliferation posture. In support of this need, the authors previously explored the value of defining and measuring a state’s safeguards culture. We argued that a clear definition of safeguards culture and an accompanying set of metrics could be applied to provide an objective evaluation and demonstration of a country’s nonproliferation posture. As part of this research, we outlined four high-level metrics that could be used to evaluate a state’s nuclear posture. We identified general data points. This paper elaborates on those metrics, further refining the data points to generate a measurable scale of safeguards cultures. We believe that this work could advance the IAEA’s goals of implementing a safeguards system that is fully information driven, while strengthening confidence in its safeguards conclusions.