April 4, 2022
“NuDiVe” (Nuclear Disarmament Verification) Exercise
The Nuclear Disarmament Verification (NuDiVe) exercise, organized by Germany (Federal Foreign Office, University of Hamburg, Jülich Research Centre) and France (Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense), tested under realistic conditions a key step in the inspection process for the multilateral verification of the dismantlement of a nuclear explosive device (NED).
The goal of NuDiVe was to evaluate methods (procedures) and means (technologies) to ensure a sufficient level of confidence that no nuclear material would be diverted during an operation to dismantle nuclear warheads. An “inspection team” of experts from seven countries applied verification measures immediately before and after a simulated dismantling of a NED to ensure that no fissile material had been diverted. A “host team,” representing the fictitious inspected state “Urania,” used controlled access protocols to prevent the disclosure of information that could pose a risk of nuclear proliferation or other sensitive information. The procedures used in the exercise were developed by the exercise organizers based on inspection concepts and approaches developed by the International Partnership on Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV). An independent evaluation team observed the exercise.
The exercise is intended to demonstrate that even non-nuclear-weapon states can participate in monitoring nuclear disarmament without leading to the dissemination of so-called proliferation-sensitive information—information related to the transfer of nuclear weapons or the means to produce them.
For more information, please see the press release.