U.S. technical support to IAEA safeguards strengthening efforts

Beginning in mid-1993, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) undertook ``Programme 93 + 2`` to evaluate a variety of measures to strengthen IAEA safeguards, particularly to enhance its capabilities to detect undeclared nuclear activities in states with comprehensive safeguards agreements. The IAEA Board of Governors meeting in June 1995 approved an initial set of strengthening measures (Part 1), and additional measures requiring complementary legal authority (Part 2) continue to be under consideration by the Board of Governors. The US provided substantial technical support to ``Programme 93 + 2`` and continues to provide support to subsequent IAEA efforts to implement Board approved measures. This paper provides an overview of US technical support to IAEA ``Programme 93 + 2`` and subsequent safeguards strengthening activities as a result of its recommendations. Since the spring of 1994, the principal author has chaired the Subgroup on Safeguards Technical Support (SSTS), which provides programmatic oversight to US safeguards support activities, and the co-author has been a staff member with the International Safeguards Project Office, Brookhaven National Laboratory, which provides administrative and technical assistance for the US Support Program to IAEA Safeguards (USSP).