IPNDV experts presented on the Partnership’s work over the past year in a panel event titled Verifying the Future: Updates from the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification. The session served as an opportunity for the Partnership to share updates, insights, and lessons learned from its nuclear disarmament verification work with the INMM community.

Panelists included Irmgard Niemeyer, head of the Division of Nuclear Safeguards and Security at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany; Elaine Kanasewich, acting director for the International and Government Relations Division at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission; and Hojung Do, a researcher at the Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation and Control (KINAC) at the Center for Nuclear Nonproliferation Strategy & Technology. The panel discussion was moderated by Nuclear Threat Initiative Program Officer Jessica Bufford.

The IPNDV returned to in-person meetings and exercises in April 2022 with the  Nuclear Disarmament Verification Exercise (NuDiVe 2022) hosted jointly by Germany and France in Jülich, Germany. This was a flow-on exercise after the initial NuDiVe exercise held in September 2019. Then in June, the Partners met in Brussels, Belgium and conducted a tabletop exercise, JUNEX 22, that examined processes, procedures, techniques, and technologies for verification of nuclear warhead transportation and long-term storage.

During the panel, Niemeyer provided an overview of and key takeaways from NuDiVe 2022. In their presentations, Kanasewich and Do spoke about their experiences at JUNEX 22 and discussed how their respective countries have engaged with the Partnership’s work. All of them shared how much they have learned about the challenges and the opportunities in the disarmament process and how IPNDV is providing valuable insights into that process.

Learn about IPNDV’s participation in last year’s INMM Annual Meeting.

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The IPNDV hosted a virtual symposium on September 28 and 29, 2021 as an opportunity for senior leaders and IPNDV experts to present the work of the Partnership and all it has accomplished since it was established in 2014. The event was aimed at the broader nuclear nonproliferation and arms control community and saw more than 100 people from 23 countries tune in to the discussions each day. Participants heard from experts who discussed the need for, and long-term benefits of, a multilateral nuclear disarmament verification system. The symposium opened with remarks from Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security at the U.S. Department of State, and Ernest J. Moniz, Co-Chair and CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative and former U.S. Secretary of Energy.

Ambassador Jenkins highlighted the importance of the Partnership and its work, particularly in contribution to the NPT: “[The IPNDV] is a practical tool that could be used to overcome obstacles to further progress on nuclear disarmament. The work being done within the Partnership requires us all to […] work together to develop real solutions to the challenges we all face.”

Moniz called the Partnership’s work “truly innovative” and groundbreaking. “The bottom line is that the IPNDV is not just identifying the challenges associated with nuclear disarmament verification, it is developing a toolbox of potential solutions to address them,” he said.

The first day of the event was hosted and moderated by Michael Edinger, Foreign Affairs Officer at the State Department’s Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance, and the panel discussion centered around lessons learned from the IPNDV’s work over the past six years. Panelists included three veterans of the Partnership: Irmgard Niemeyer, Division Head of Nuclear Safeguards and Security, Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany); Jens Wirstam, Deputy Research Director at the Swedish Defense Research Agency (Sweden); and Malcolm Coxhead, Director for CTBT and Disarmament in the Australian Safeguards and Non-proliferation Office (Australia).

The second day’s panel discussions focused on technology as an enabler of progress and placed nuclear disarmament verification in a broader context. Carmen MacDougall, Senior Vice President at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, served as the day’s host, and the two discussion panels were moderated by Alicia Swift, Program Manager of Nonproliferation and Arms Control R&D at the Y-12 National Security Complex (United States) and Elaine Kanasewich, Acting Director of the Emergency Management and Programs Division, Directorate of Security and Safeguards, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (Canada). Panelists included Michele Smith, Deputy Director for the Office of Nuclear Verification at the National Nuclear Security Administration (United States); Klaas van der Meer, Group Head of the Nuclear Research Center (SCK CEN) (Belgium); Jørn Osmundsen, Special Envoy for Disarmament Affairs at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Norway); and Jeffrey Eberhardt, Senior Advisor in the Arms Control, Verification and Compliance Bureau at the U.S. Department of State (United States).

Collaboration – Blending States and Experts

A fundamental aspect of the Partnership highlighted by multiple speakers is its collaborative model: it includes both states with and without nuclear weapons, and technical and political experts working together. As Wirstam explained, “although there are separate issues, they are all entangled in some way or the other, so the technical, the procedural, and the legal aspects […] need to be dealt with in a comprehensive way.”

The collaborative model has created room for information sharing between the experts. Niemeyer said that when preparing to host a joint exercise with France (the NuDiVe exercise), it “was very important to have a nuclear-weapon state on board for the preparation […] our colleagues from France always reminded us about the concerns they may have as a nuclear-weapon state.” In addition, Smith talked about how, as they have continued to work on issues together, the technical and policy experts have started to learn one another’s lexicons and better understand one another’s perspectives.

Technology Creation, Adaptation, and Addition

Technology is integral to the verification process. However, as Smith explained, for the technological aspects of the process to work, technology needs to be created, and existing technology adapted, to fit the specific needs of the nuclear disarmament verification process. Van der Meer spoke on the balance between getting enough information for a measurement to be meaningful, but not revealing proliferation-sensitive information. A possible solution is the creation of a technology that uses information barriers. For example, rather than showing the final numerical reading of a material, it might only show a red or green light indicating whether or not that material reading was in proper range. Each technological addition to disarmament verification must account for these security considerations.

IPNDV’s Evolution

Since its inception, the IPNDV has focused on creating a collaborative Partnership where experts engage in real, practical work. As a result, a lot has been learned over the last six years. The greatest area of change and growth was noted by Wirstam and Eberhardt: the enduring commitment of each state participant, and their belief in the possibility and importance of the work. A long-term perspective is needed when approaching the work of the Partnership, and therefore this commitment and buy-in is crucial for its overall success.

In addition, Wirstam explained how increasing “understanding of the challenges and solutions to nuclear disarmament verification […] has made it possible to go from this very narrow and specific task in the early days, to where we are today where we are discussing broader, but still technical in detail, the issues related to disarmament verification.”

Nuclear Disarmament Verification in the Broader Context

Multiple speakers focused on the idea of creating a “toolbox” and filling it with tools that can be used to craft future verification mechanisms so that when the time comes to negotiate treaties, experts and inspectors have those tools at the ready. Not only do verification mechanisms need to be created, but technologies need to be both produced and adapted for specific use in specific circumstances. Coxhead spoke on the importance of conducting exercises throughout the process to test and refine concepts, implementing new concepts and moving the work from principle to practice. This demonstrates the complexity of the work and the need to do the work long before it is urgently needed.

By building “mutual confidence” and “a culture of cooperation,” the IPNDV’s work is, as Osmundsen described, “a very good example of science diplomacy and how it can contribute to progress.” Moving forward, the Partnership is focusing on how to implement the concepts they have developed, making them more effective and efficient. As Moniz stated, “[t]ogether, we’ll continue to answer some very tough questions, build and diversify international capacity and expertise, and be poised for a future when we are monitoring and verifying nuclear weapons reductions.” After all, bringing together both the technical and political sides to solve each of the challenges faced creates, as Eberhardt defined, “the sense of the art of the possible.”

Watch both days of the IPNDV Virtual Symposium here.

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The virtual conference brought together nuclear materials management and safeguards communities on both sides of the Atlantic to share progress, projects and discuss priorities across a variety of sectors—from government offices, national laboratories, non-governmental organizations, academia, and nuclear industry. This year’s annual meeting was focused on innovation and international collaboration, featuring panels about cross-cutting issues as well as technical presentations.

IPNDV experts presented on their work and work of the Partnership during the following sessions:

Wednesday, August 25: The International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification session, featuring technology presentations from the following IPNDV members derived from 2019 Belgian Measurement Campaign:

• Alessandro Borella (Belgium)
• Jennifer Schofield (United Kingdom)
• Istvan Almasi (Hungary)
• Manuel Kreutle (Germany)
• David Boardman (Australia)
• Nicholas Reed (United Kingdom)

Wednesday, September 1: The International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification: Advancing Technology and Approaches session, featuring presentations from IPNDV members:

• Michele Smith (USA)
• Elaine Kanasewich (Canada)
• Mihail Vardai (Hungary)

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The seminar was organized as part of the IPNDV’s mission to further information sharing and capacity building between technical and political experts from the Partnership’s member countries.

The post Rose Gottemoeller Joins IPNDV for Discussion on Nuclear Negotiations, Verification, and Applying Lessons Learned appeared first on International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament.

The four-day event was a follow-on to a similar virtual exercise hosted in December 2020 that focused on exploring similarities and differences in perspectives between inspectors and hosts during verification of the dismantlement of 500 warheads under a fictional nuclear weapons reduction treaty. These exercises underscore that the Partnership is committed to putting its work into practice through realistic events, scenarios, and hands-on activities in its third multi-year phase of work.

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This brochure is based on the walk-through exhibition that was created to be shown at the IPNDV public outreach symposium, which was ultimately cancelled due to COVID-19. The symposium, which was to be held just before the 2020 NPT Review Conference, was an opportunity for IPNDV partners to showcase their work alongside other exciting progress being made in the field of nuclear disarmament verification.

A preview of the brochure is below. Click here to download the full PDF.

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The IPNDV has concluded – yes, it is possible. An interactive graphic featured on the Partnership’s website brings this monitoring and verification process to life. Although there are challenges, applicable technologies and inspection procedures exist that should make multilateral monitored nuclear dismantlement possible, while successfully managing safety, security, non-proliferation, and classification concerns.

This graphic allows you to explore and learn about the 14-step model developed by the IPNDV, beginning with the removal of a nuclear weapon from its delivery system and ending with the disposition of its separate components. This interactive tool highlights applicable technologies and procedures that could be used at each step to achieve specific monitoring and inspection objectives, goals, and tasks.

Developed originally in 2017 at the end of the IPNDV’s first phase of work, the interactive graphic has been updated to reflect the Partnership’s work since then, as analytical and practical work progressed throughout Phase II and into Phase III. Visitors also will have more control over how they explore the interactive with a new navigation system. Photos from IPNDV exercises and technology demonstrations also have been added to the interactive, illustrating how the partners have tested monitoring and verification tools and procedures –underscoring how the IPNDV continues to progress from “paper to practice.”

Take a closer look and explore the step-by-step interactive here.

This interactive was developed with generous financial support from the Government of Canada.

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Today, the IPNDV is releasing new analytical and multi-media content outlining its work in developing and testing procedures and technologies for future nuclear disarmament verification.

The release comes as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), widely considered the cornerstone of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and an essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament, marks its 50^th anniversary. Today, April 27^th, was scheduled as the start of the treaty’s 2020 Review Conference and would have seen NPT Parties come together to review progress on nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The Review Conference was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting today, and throughout this week, the IPNDV is releasing new content to highlight important contributions made by the Partners in support of nuclear disarmament verification. Among those contributions:

• The partners have determined that multilateral monitored nuclear disarmament verification—while challenging—is possible.
• The IPNDV has developed verification processes and furthered technical innovation useful to future nuclear disarmament.
• By including countries with and without nuclear weapons, the IPNDV has built trust, diversified a global capacity, and developed a common language that has created a dedicated community of diplomatic, technical, and policy experts on nuclear disarmament verification.
• The IPNDV website offers an extensive resource base, with more than 50 analytical reports and 300 other resources.

In addition to the full summary report of IPNDV work completed in Phase II, Moving from Paper to Practice in Nuclear Disarmament Verification the new content includes:

• A new four-minute “About IPNDV” video, featuring partners from around the world
• Eight new analytical reports and activity summaries from the Partnership’s three technical working groups
• Posters (PDF format) showcasing work being done on nuclear disarmament verification by experts around the world, in and out of IPNDV
• A statement on the work of the IPNDV from Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, Under Secretary for Nuclear Security of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration
• Six one-minute “Voices of IPNDV” videos featuring IPNDV participants answering specific questions about the Partnership.

Following two multi-year phases that have brought together more than 25 countries with and without nuclear weapons, the IPNDV is entering a third phase which will include additional hands-on activities. These will consist of scenario-based discussions, practical exercises and technology demonstrations to develop, test, evaluate, and refine verification approaches and concepts as the Partnership looks toward the 2025 NPT Review Conference.

Follow Twitter this week for more on IPNDV as we continue to publicize this important work (@StateISN, @NNSANews, @NTI_WMD).

The IPNDV is a public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of State and the Nuclear Threat Initiative involving more than 25 countries with and without nuclear weapons. Together, the Partners are identifying challenges associated with nuclear disarmament verification, and developing potential procedures and technologies to address those challenges.

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This exhibition was created to be shown at the IPNDV public outreach symposium, which was ultimately cancelled due to COVID-19. The symposium was an opportunity for the 25+ partner countries to share their work and other exciting progress being made in the field of nuclear disarmament verification.

Click here to download a brochure summary of the exhibition (PDF).

The post IPNDV Exhibition: Pathways to Verifiable Nuclear Disarmament appeared first on International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament.

In the short 1-minute videos below, IPNDV participants answer common questions about the Partnership and its work.

How does IPNDV work?

Why does IPNDV include both technical experts and policymakers?

Why work on disarmament verification now?

How does collaboration among countries with and without nuclear weapons advance verification?

What is the real value of practical exercises?

How do you balance transparency & security when addressing nuclear disarmament verification?

For more information and a longer history about the IPNDV, watch our new four-minute video on this website’s About page

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