The R and D/operational MC and A (materials control and accounting) interface. [Materials control and accounting]

Improvements in our ability to do materials control and accounting (MC and A) have been steady since the beginning of the nuclear age and the appearance of processes and facilities for handling nuclear materials. The motivation for these improvements has not been just safeguards: the desire for better process control also has played a major role, and the emergence of technology focused on the problems of MC and A has made it possible to pursue such improvements. However, it is a continuing challenge to match the needs of the operational MC and A elements with the capabilities and resources of the R and D community. In the last couple of years this challenge has been addressed very visibly by the DOE's Project Cerberus R and D Committee, which has devised a procedure to encourage closer interactions between the operations and R and D elements. In the particular case of Los Alamos, we have recently concluded the efforts of the Nuclear Materials Management and Safeguards Task Force, which made strong recommendations about the need for close internal cooperation. The issues associated with these activities and the specific means for addressing them, will be of surpassing interest for the future of safeguards.