International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification: Laying a foundation for future arms reductions

Abstract

ABSTRACTToday’s international political environment is not favorable for establishing new arms control agreements, but history demonstrates that arms control opportunities can arise quickly. When opportunities arise, however, they will be accompanied by verification challenges for which nuclear and non-nuclear states alike must prepare now. In particular, new approaches must be developed to verify the dismantlement of nuclear warheads – a task never before undertaken. In order to identify technical challenges associated with nuclear disarmament verification, as well as procedures and technologies that might address those challenges, the Nuclear Threat Initiative and the US State Department – through a project known as the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV) – are engaging collaboratively with more than 25 countries to build global verification expertise. The IPNDV has completed a first phase of work, which focused on monitoring and verification objectives, on-site inspections, and technical challenges and solutions. It has now embarked on a second phase of work, which will seek to deepen understanding of the verification options identified in the first phase, begin to test some of those options, and extend the partnership’s work beyond the core of nuclear weapon dismantlement. At a highly contentious moment for global security, the IPNDV stands out as a model of effective international collaboration.