Publications

The course content consisted of 32 modules that included topics necessary to understand how to conduct PPS design and evaluation. An important aspect of ITC-27's training methodology was to ensure that each topic was presented via lecture (hear), and also included demonstrations (see) and hands-on field activities (do), whenever applicable. A final exercise provided participants with the opportunity to apply the design and evaluation knowledge gained during the course. Guest lecturers—both domestic and international—supplemented information from related agency perspectives. A new topic—Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)—offered participants a high-level awareness of the types, uses, and capabilities of these systems and how they might be used in both an adversarial and protective capacity.

A team of experts from Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) partnered to revise the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Training Course on Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials and Facilities. This two-week course is a modified version of the three-week International Training Course (ITC) that is delivered on location at SNL. The last significant update to the IAEA Regional Training Course (RTC) RTC material was about 10 years ago. Prior revision efforts for two of the IAEA Materials and Facilities (MAFA) section courses, which were each one week in length, consisted of five consultancy meetings each with US DOE/NNSA personnel and international experts and held in Vienna, Austria. The level of effort anticipated to revise a two-week course was expected to double these previous efforts, which prompted development of an alternative approach to the revision process. The goal of the revision of the two-week course, labeled the RTC, was focused on the capability for delivery at any appropriate international location, most likely regionally by the IAEA.