IAEA STAFFING: AMCIT OPPORTUNITIES AND PROSPECTS

UNCLAS UNVIE VIENNA 000148

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

FOR T, IO/T, IO/MPR, AND ISN
DOE FOR NA-20, NA-24, NE-1, NE-6
NRC FOR OIP DOANE, HENDERSON, SCHWARTZMAN
NSC STAFF FOR CONNERY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC KNNP IAEA
SUBJECT: IAEA STAFFING: AMCIT OPPORTUNITIES AND PROSPECTS
FOR CHANGE IN KEY JOBS

REF: UNVIE 144


1. (SBU) Introduction: Mission continues to monitor
senior-level positions throughout the IAEA Secretariat with
an eye toward placing well-qualified Americans in positions
of interest. Following is a break-down of current and
upcoming senior-level vacancies by department, indicating
both opportunities for U.S. nationals, as well as positions
of interest to implementation of U.S. policy, regardless of
the incumbent's nationality. This report on prospective
personnel shifts in middle management and professional
functions at the IAEA complements septel, which will report
on the top-level transition that may accompany the arrival of
a new Director General.


2. (SBU) Department of Safeguards: It is an unwritten rule
that as a nuclear weapons state the U.S. does not hold the
Deputy Director General for Safeguards position. Likewise we
do not hold the Director position in any of the three
Safeguards Operations Divisions. Ops C director Kenji
Murakami, responsible for all of Europe and Central Asia,
will depart in summer 2009, leaving an important opening.
This position should have been filled and confirmed at the
March Board of Governors meeting but was held back pending
resolution of the Director General selection process. We
understand a Japanese national has the inside track, but
Canada still hopes its applicant can get the job. Ops B
Director Herman Nackaerts, leader of safeguards verification
in Iran and the broader Middle East region, told Msnoff that
he will leave the IAEA in the summer of 2012 when his current
contract ends. Nackaerts indicated that he has no intention
to stay with the IAEA, preferring to move back to Belgium and
spend time with his grandchildren. AmCit Jill Cooley is the
current Director for Safeguards Concepts and Planning
(traditionally the senior U.S. safeguards position); the
United States would not be considered for a further D-level
position in Safeguards during her tenure. Mission closely
follows the many Section Head positions within the Department
of Safeguards. Section Head for the Tokyo Regional Office is
currently being advertised and has been occupied by Americans
in the past. The application deadline was April 3. Mission
is aware of one U.S. applicant, but Mexican national Lauro
Pedreaza, currently acting in the position, has the inside
track.


3. (SBU) Department of Management: Below the Deputy Director
General for Management position, U.S. citizens hold two of
six Director-level positions within the department. These
are Charles Havekost, Division of Information Technology, and
Gary Eidet, Division of Budget and Finance. Due to the
existing high-level representation in this Department, a U.S.
citizen will not be considered for a further D-level position
in Management unless and until one of these two leaves.
There are currently two Section Head vacancies in the
Division of Public Information. Current Section Head for
Media and Outreach, U.S. citizen Melissa Fleming, will depart
this year and her position is being advertised. The position
of her counterpart for the News and Information Section is
also being advertised. Mission is aware of several U.S.
citizen applicants -- one of whom is said to have the inside
track -- and will follow these candidacies closely.


4. (SBU) Department of Nuclear Safety and Security: This
department writes draft safety and security legislation and
draft regulatory and security guidance documents that are
being used by Member States to create their nuclear programs.
The Department performs safety and security peer reviews of
facilities and provides recommendations for improvements.
The Department also performs an enormous amount of training
on all areas of safety and security. U.S. staffing here can
have a direct and almost immediate influence on safety and
security world-wide. Currently, of the 24 management
positions in the department, the U.S. holds only one, a P-5
position as head of the Incident and Emergency Center. This
means that there are no U.S. managers anywhere in the safety
and security technical areas. Total U.S. staffing in the
Department is 17, but a majority of these personnel are Cost
Free Experts in the office of security, paid for by the U.S.
In the Division of Nuclear Installation Safety, the post of
Section Head, Policy and Program Support, will be advertised
in the coming months. The position of Section Head, Safety
Assessment, is expected to become vacant in early 2010.


5. (SBU) Department of Nuclear Energy: The post of Director,

Division of Nuclear Power is currently vacant, and Mission is
aware of one well-qualified U.S. candidate in the first round
of interviews. Within this Division are two Section Head
positions. In January 2009, U.S. citizen Russell Clark
retired as Section Head for Nuclear Power Engineering, and
this position is currently vacant. Mission is aware of five
U.S. applicants to the position, for which applications
closed on March 20. Section Head, Nuclear Power Technology
Development, is U.S. citizen Atambir Rao, who is expected to
retire within the next year.


6. (SBU) Department of Technical Cooperation: Mission is
unaware of upcoming D-level vacancies within the TC
Department. A Section Head position for one of the four
regional divisions will become vacant in early 2010.


7. (SBU) Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications:
Mission is unaware of upcoming D-level vacancies within the
Nuclear Sciences and Applications Department. Section Head
positions for the Section of Nuclear Data and Physics Section
are expected to become vacant in early 2009 and late 2010,
respectively.

Current Representation
--------------


8. (SBU) Excluding about forty U.S.-funded Cost Free Experts
(CFE) and Junior Professionals, U.S. representation at the
IAEA held at 11.7 percent as of March 13, 2009, with U.S.
citizens holding 87 of 745 positions subject to geographical
distribution. Two American Cost Free Experts were recently
awarded Staff contracts by the IAEA:

Anne Starz, Technical Head, Infrastructure and Planning,
Department of Nuclear Energy, P-5.

Richard McCullough, Safeguards Analyst, Division of Concepts
and Planning, Department of Safeguards, P-4.

Comment
--------------


9. (SBU) As we look at increasing U.S. representation
across the IAEA, the USG might take some tips from the
French. In the Safeguards Department alone, France has
strategically placed well qualified individuals with strong,
broad nuclear nonproliferation backgrounds in key slots with
influence:

Frederic Claude, Special Advisor, Office of the DDG
Malek Derrough, Senior Analyst, Operations B (Iran)
Jean Maurice Crete, Section Head for Training, Concepts and
Planning
Eric Pujol, Technical Secretary to SAGSI, SGCP
Jacques Baute, Director, Division for Information Management

French nationals are also a significant presence among
management positions in the Safety and Security Department.


10. (SBU) DoE's Next Generation Safeguards Initiative will
be an important step in the direction of deepening the U.S.
recruitment pool for critical safeguards positions. In
addition, as reftel on the Office of Nuclear Security budget
states, the IAEA's plan to move more of the security office's
operations under the IAEA's regular budget would convert CFE
positions to permanent staff, an estimated 49 Professional
and General Services staff if the 2010-2011 budgets were
approved in full. It is vital that the U.S. compete for
these permanent positions in order to maintain the influence
we have over the IAEA's nucelar security mission.


SCHULTE