NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby Remarks at International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS) Opening Ceremony

The following remarks are from the opening ceremony of the IPPAS mission on Feb. 28, 2024. The mission concluded on March 8. Read more about the mission from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Good morning, everyone, it’s an honor to be here at the opening ceremony for the second International Physical Protection Advisory Service, or IPPAS, Mission at a U.S. nuclear facility.  I’d like to thank the National Nuclear Security Administration, DOE, and Sandia National Laboratories teams who helped make the next couple of weeks possible.  Thanks also to the representatives from the IAEA and the IPPAS team members.  I know a tremendous amount of work has gone into organizing this IPPAS Mission and assuring its goals are accomplished.

Today, we live in a world with significant nuclear security challenges both at home and globally. This includes a renaissance in the nuclear energy industry.  The United States and countries around the world are looking to nuclear power as a means of providing reliable, zero-carbon baseload power to combat climate change.  The Department of Energy released a report last March indicating that nuclear power in the U.S. alone will need to grow by an additional 200 gigawatts by 2050 to achieve our clean energy goals.  Globally, there are over 50 nuclear reactors under construction.  Late last year, the IAEA released a report indicating that nuclear power could grow by as much as 140% by mid-century.  And, at last year’s COP28 climate talks, the United States was joined by two dozen other nations in signing a pledge to triple global nuclear energy capacity by 2050. Collectively, this level of time, attention, focus, and resources dedicated to civilian nuclear energy is one of the largest we’ve seen since the dawn of the atomic age. 

This is a good thing since climate change represents an existential threat to humanity, and we cannot ignore any possible avenues for mitigating its impact.  The U.S. remains committed to the safe and peaceful access to nuclear energy laid out in President Eisenhower’s Atoms for Peace speech 70 years ago.  At the same time, the growth in nuclear energy production, especially in newcomer nations, represents a significant challenge to today’s nuclear nonproliferation, nuclear security, and nuclear counterterrorism norms.  As nuclear materials, expertise, and the number and types of nuclear facilities increase, new solutions and additional resources in nuclear security and safeguards will be needed.  NNSA is proud of our longstanding support for the IAEA in providing both expertise and direct assistance to advance these goals, but we know that we must keep pace with the global realities. 

Additionally, like other key fields that will define the 21^st century, such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence, the introduction of emerging and disruptive technologies presents an additional challenge.  Going forward, large-scale nuclear power plants are no longer going to be the only approach for generating nuclear energy.  They will likely co-exist with smaller scale and advanced reactors with novel fuel, cooling, and security requirements.  NNSA actively partners with the U.S. nuclear industry through programs that promote both safeguards-by-design and security-by-design to tackle these emerging challenges and increase the proliferation resistance of U.S. nuclear technologies.  As an international community, we have a shared responsibility to enable access to these new technologies for responsible states, while simultaneously promoting the most stringent safeguard and security measures possible to mitigate potential risks.  A nuclear incident anywhere will have severe implications for peace and security worldwide and for humankind’s ability to address climate change.

The pressing need for international cooperation on nuclear security highlights the critical role the IAEA plays.  The IAEA’s unique capabilities are an essential component of global nuclear safety, safeguards, and security efforts.  The Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and its 2005 Amendment are an excellent example of this.  The Convention and its Amendment are the only internationally legally binding instruments requiring physical protection of nuclear materials and nuclear facilities used for peaceful purposes from theft and sabotage. With 163 States Parties to the original treaty and 134 States Parties to the Amendment, it is clear the international community understands the importance of this issue.

IPPAS Missions are another unique tool the IAEA uses to promote international nuclear security, including strengthening implementation of the Convention and its Amendment.  Since the inception of IPPAS in 1995, the IAEA has conducted 100 IPPAS Missions. We see IPPAS Missions as a platform to bring together expert recommendations and collaborate on guidance to advance the future of nuclear security.  At NNSA, we recognize the critical role that IPPAS Missions play in helping states assess current practices and identify potential vulnerabilities for theft and sabotage in their nuclear security legal and regulatory regimes and at facilities selected for assessment.  One of NNSA’s fundamental missions is to reduce global nuclear threats by preventing the theft and sabotage of nuclear materials and by responding to nuclear or radiological incidents both domestically and around the world. As such, the IPPAS Mission closely aligns with NNSA’s continued efforts to strengthen the global nuclear and radiological security regime.

The U.S. also has a long history of directly supporting IPPAS Missions. NNSA sends experts, trained by the IAEA, to participate as team members in IPPAS Missions hosted by our international partners while also encouraging others to host their own Missions.  The U.S. has also previously hosted an IPPAS Mission.  At the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit, President Obama committed to hosting an IPPAS Mission in the United States. In 2013, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission hosted the United States’s first IPPAS Mission at the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research reactor.  I’m pleased that IPPAS Mission found that nuclear security in the U.S. civil nuclear industry was robust and sustainable.

This brings us to the upcoming IPPAS Mission at the Sandia Pulsed Reactor Facility at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  In March of 2022, Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins announced that the U.S. would host a second IPPAS Mission.  That December, Ambassador Laura Holgate made the formal request in Vienna.  And, last February, NNSA’s Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation designated the Sandia Pulsed Reactor Facility as the facility to be visited.  I want to emphasize that this Mission is supported at the highest levels of leadership in the U.S. Government.  President Biden has designated this Mission as a White House Initiative, meaning the outcomes will be reviewed and prioritized throughout the Federal Government. The focus of this Mission at a national level will be on assessing the Department of Energy’s rules, regulations, and procedures to authorize, regulate, oversee, inspect, and sanction entities authorized to possess, store, and use nuclear materials and operate nuclear facilities in line with the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, its Amendment, and international good practices and consensus standards.  Additionally, the Mission will evaluate how the framework is implemented specifically at the Sandia Pulsed Reactor.

Hosting an IPPAS Mission at not just a U.S. civil nuclear facility, but a secure U.S. National Laboratory, points to several different things worth emphasizing. First and foremost is that both NNSA and the U.S. remain committed to responsible nuclear security citizenship. We consistently aim to hold ourselves to the highest possible nuclear security standards, not only to maintain and enhance national and international nuclear security, but also to serve as a model to our allies, partners, and the global community on what robust nuclear security measures look like.  Second, it reflects the United States’ highest possible confidence in the role of the IAEA and the value of the IPPAS program.  As I said earlier, we recognize and value the unique role and capabilities of the IAEA and we want to visibly demonstrate to the international community the benefits of requesting and hosting an IPPAS Mission.  Third, it illustrates that IPPAS Missions can be undertaken without compromising confidential or security-related information.  I know this is a concern that has been frequently expressed by Member States.  Sandia National Laboratories is not a civilian nuclear facility operated in the private sector and subject to United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations; rather, it is a key national security laboratory that plays a critical role in the design and maintenance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. However, with the right coordination and planning, and with full confidence in the professionalism of the IPPAS Mission technical team, NNSA believes it is possible to host a comprehensive and informative Mission without creating a national security risk. 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this Mission reflects the fact that nuclear security is not static.  As I said, we face emerging and disruptive technologies in the nuclear security space. These new technologies offer the possibility that more countries can take advantage of nuclear energy and can potentially be used to enhance nuclear security and nonproliferation tools.  But some of those same technologies introduce new vulnerabilities and opportunities for rogue states or non-state actors to engage in malicious activities.  We must recognize that changes in the global environment, whether they represent challenges or opportunities, require us to evolve and adapt our own nuclear security practices.  The recommendations and lessons on good practices, and the ability to learn and share among other countries, can help countries continuously improve their security, regardless of how well developed their nuclear security infrastructure is, because all countries must adapt and keep pace with the rate of technological evolution. This is also key for the implementation of the Convention and its Amendment.  As the nuclear security environment evolves, the implementation of the Convention will also need to evolve to stay relevant. 

To wrap up, let me thank you all again for being here today.  I want to reiterate that, as an international community, we all benefit from robust and comprehensive global nuclear security.  As nuclear energy becomes more prominent in confronting climate change and other challenges we face today, it is incumbent upon all of us as responsible nations, organizations, and stakeholders to stay on the leading edge of best practices in the nuclear security field.  Today’s opening ceremony is just the start of the important work ahead over the next couple of weeks.  We look forward to the completion of another successful IPPAS Mission and to cooperating on nuclear security issues for years to come.