Building and Maintaining an Enduring Nuclear Forensics Capability – UK Case study

Nuclear forensics is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as the "examination of nuclear and other radioactive materials using analytical techniques to determine the origin and history of this material in the context of law enforcement investigations or the assessment of nuclear security vulnerabilities". It is a complex, multi-disciplinary, multi-faceted activity that draws upon a diverse range of technical capabilities from crime scene through to the use of technically advanced analytical methods on nuclear or radiological materials. Many Member States have established nuclear forensic capabilities, and 'Nuclear Forensic Libraries'. The UK presented at this conference in 2019 on the construct of the hub-and-spoke, virtual library model which establishes a network of knowledgeable subject matter experts from across the defence and civil nuclear sectors, with access to information and data to aid the provenance of Material Out of Regulatory Control (MORC).