Performance capabilities for fixed site physical protection systems.
10 C.F.R. § 73.45
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01(a) To meet the general performance requirements of § 73.20 a fixed site physical protection system shall include the performance capabilities described in paragraphs (b) through (g) of this section unless otherwise authorized by the Commission.
(b) Prevent unauthorized access of persons, vehicles and materials into material access areas and vital areas. To achieve this capability the physical protection system shall:
(1) Detect attempts to gain unauthorized access or introduce unauthorized material across material access or vital area boundaries by stealth or force using the following subsystems and subfunctions:
(i) Barriers to channel persons and material to material access and vital area entry control points and to delay any unauthorized penetration attempts by persons or materials sufficient to assist detection and permit a response that will prevent the penetration; and
(ii) Access detection subsystems and procedures to detect, assess and communicate any unauthorized penetration attempts by persons or materials at the time of the attempt so that the response can prevent the unauthorized access or penetration.
(2) Detect attempts to gain unauthorized access or introduce unauthorized materials into material access areas or vital areas by deceit using the following subsystems and subfunctions:
(i) Access authorization controls and procedures to provide current authorization schedules and entry criteria for both persons and materials; and
(ii) Entry controls and procedures to verify the identity of persons and materials and assess such identity against current authorization schedules and entry criteria before permitting entry and to initiate response measures to deny unauthorized entries.
(c) Permit only authorized activities and conditions within protected areas, material access areas, and vital areas. To achieve this capability the physical protection system shall:
(1) Detect unauthorized activities or conditions within protected areas, material access areas and vital areas using the following subsystems and subfunctions:
(i) Controls and procedures that establish current schedules of authorized activities and conditions in defined areas;
(ii) Boundaries to define areas within which the authorized activities and conditions are permitted; and
(iii) Detection and surveillance subsystems and procedures to discover and assess unauthorized activities and conditions and communicate them so that response can be such as to stop the activity or correct the conditions to satisfy the general performance objective and requirements of § 73.20(a).
(d) Permit only authorized placement and movement of strategic special nuclear material within material access areas. To achieve this capability the physical protection system shall:
(1) Detect unauthorized placement and movement of strategic special nuclear material within the material access area using the following subsystems and subfunctions:
(i) Controls and procedures to delineate authorized placement and control for strategic special nuclear material;
(ii) Controls and procedures to establish current authorized placement and movement of all strategic special nuclear material within material access areas;
(iii) Controls and procedures to maintain knowledge of the identity, quantity, placement, and movement of all strategic special nuclear material within material access areas; and
(iv) Detection and monitoring subsystems and procedures to discover and assess unauthorized placement and movement of strategic special nuclear material and communicate them so that response can be such as to return the strategic special nuclear material to authorized placement or control.
(e) Permit removal of only authorized and confirmed forms and amounts of strategic special nuclear material from material access areas. To achieve this capability the physical protection system shall:
(1) Detect attempts at unauthorized removal of strategic special nuclear material from material access areas by stealth or force using the following subsystems and subfunctions:
(i) Barriers to channel persons and materials exiting a material access area to exit control points and to delay any unauthorized strategic special nuclear material removal attempts sufficient to assist detection and assessment and permit a response that will prevent the removal; and satisfy the general performance objective and requirements of § 73.20(a); and
(ii) Detection subsystems and procedures to detect, assess and communicate any attempts at unauthorized removal of strategic special nuclear material so that response to the attempt can be such as to prevent the removal and satisfy the general performance objective and requirements of § 73.20(a).
(2) Confirm the identity and quantity of strategic special nuclear material presented for removal from a material access area and detect attempts at unauthorized removal of strategic special nuclear material from material access areas by deceit using the following subsystems and subfunctions:
(i) Authorization controls and procedures to provide current schedules for authorized removal of strategic special nuclear material which specify the authorized properties and quantities of material to be removed, the persons authorized to remove the material, and the authorized time schedule;
(ii) Removal controls and procedures to identify and confirm the properties and quantities of material being removed and verify the identity of the persons making the removal and time of removal and assess these against the current authorized removal schedule before permitting removal; and
(iii) Communications subsystems and procedures to provide for notification of an attempted unauthorized or unconfirmed removal so that response can be such as to prevent the removal and satisfy the general performance objective and requirements of § 73.20(a).
(f) Provide for authorized access and assure detection of and response to unauthorized penetrations of the protected area to satisfy the general performance objective and requirements of § 73.20(a). To achieve this capability the physical protection system shall:
(1) Detect attempts to gain unauthorized access or introduce unauthorized persons, vehicles, or materials into the protected area by stealth or force using the following subsystems and subfunctions:
(i) Barriers to channel persons, vehicles, and materials to protected area entry control points; and to delay any unauthorized penetration attempts or the introduction of unauthorized vehicles or materials sufficient to assist detection and assessment and permit a response that will prevent the penetration or prevent such penetration and satisfy the general performance objective and requirements of § 73.20(a); and
(ii) Access detection subsystems and procedures to detect, assess and communicate any unauthorized access or penetrations or such attempts by persons, vehicles, or materials at the time of the act or the attempt so that the response can be such as to prevent the unauthorized access or penetration, and satisfy the general performance objective and requirements of § 73.20(a).
(2) Detect attempts to gain unauthorized access or introduce unauthorized persons, vehicles, or materials into the protected area by deceit using the following subsystems and subfunctions:
(i) Access authorization controls and procedures to provide current authorization schedules and entry criteria for persons, vehicles, and materials; and
(ii) Entry controls and procedures to verify the identity of persons, materials and vehicles and assess such identity against current authorization schedules before permitting entry and to initiate response measures to deny unauthorized access.
(g) Response. Each physical protection program shall provide a response capability to assure that the five capabilities described in paragraphs (b) through (f) of this section are achieved and that adversary forces will be engaged and impeded until offsite assistance forces arrive. To achieve this capability a licensee shall:
(1) Establish a security organization to:
(i) Provide trained and qualified personnel to carry out assigned duties and responsibilities; and
(ii) Provide for routine security operations and planned and predetermined response to emergencies and safeguards contingencies.
(2) Establish a predetermined plan to respond to safeguards contingency events.
(3) Provide equipment for the security organization and facility design features to:
(i) Provide for rapid assessment of safeguards contingencies;
(ii) Provide for response by assigned security organization personnel which is sufficiently rapid and effective to achieve the predetermined objective of the response; and
(iii) Provide protection for the assessment and response personnel so that they can complete their assigned duties.
(4) Provide communications networks to:
(i) Transmit rapid and accurate security information among onsite forces for routine security operation, assessment of a contingency, and response to a contingency; and
(ii) Transmit rapid and accurate detection and assessment information to offsite assistance forces.
(5) Assure that a single adversary action cannot destroy the capability of the security organization to notify offsite response forces of the need for assistance.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-10.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026