Development of Mock-CA and DIQ Exercises Using Virtual Tour for Online SSAC Training

The Integrated Support Center for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Nuclear Security (ISCN) of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has developed and implemented two exercises for the online regional training course on the State System of Accounting for and Control of Nuclear Material (Online RTC-SSAC). One is a Mock-Complementary Access (Mock-CA) exercise, which was jointly developed with the IAEA, and the other is a Design Information Questionnaire (DIQ) exercise. The Mock-CA exercise is a combination of a virtual tour of the JAEA's research laboratory, a video taken of a Mock-CA demonstration, PowerPoint presentation and group discussion. The DIQ exercise consists of a virtual tour of the JAEA's research reactor, PowerPoint presentation and group discussion. JAEA has found that the developed Mock CA and DIQ exercises are not only a powerful tool for online training, but also beneficial for in-person training. JAEA's efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to create new tools for IAEA safeguards-related training that are beneficial even in the post-pandemic era. This paper describes the Mock-CA and DIQ exercises development, implementation and feedback from the participants. It also identifies good practice of collaboration with the IAEA Tokyo regional office to make the exercises as practical and realistic as possible. The paper concludes with exploring the possible use of these exercises to ensure that they will support IAEA safeguards training and implementation. (author)