IAEA SAFEGUARDS: IAEA Request for Continued AFTAC Support

UNCLAS UNVIE VIENNA 000011

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR ISN/MNSA:RCOCKERHAM; IO/GS:JDETEMPLE
NRC FOR NMSS:SAGUILAR
DOD/OSD FOR JSMITH
DOE/NA-241 FOR WOCONNOR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TRGY AORC KNNP MNUC IAEA
SUBJECT: IAEA SAFEGUARDS: IAEA Request for Continued AFTAC Support
for Particle Analysis of Environmental Samples


1. (SBU) Mission received the letter below requesting continued
AFTAC support at current contractual levels of 450 samples per
year.


2. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST: Mission strongly recommends continued
support for this critical safeguards mission and requests guidance
for responding to IAEA.

BEGIN TEXT OF IAEA LETTER

Under Contract 1998-649, the U.S. Air Force Technical Applications
Center (AFTAC) provides the IAEA with services of particle analysis
of environmental samples using a combination of Fission Track
technique with Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (FT-TIMS). We
clearly recognize and appreciate that, owing to the US Support
Programme, the IAEA has the privilege of paying only a small
fraction of the real cost of this extremely expensive analysis.

AFTAC has the most experience with environmental swipe (ES) samples,
the largest infrastructure, and an extensive quality control
programme. It is also a member of the IAEA's Network of Analytical
Laboratories (NWAL) which accepts highly radioactive samples for
FT-TIMS analysis.

The IAEA greatly appreciates AFTAC's contribution to the NWAL, and
would like to reiterate its interest in AFTAC's continued support at
the current contractual level.

I would also like to express the gratitude of the IAEA for the
valuable contribution provided by the US Support Programme to the
IAEA's safeguards efforts.

Nikolai Khlebnikov
Director
Division of Technical Support
Department of Safeguards

END TEXT

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