Twenty-seven years after the founding of the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group, the ITWG returned to the place of its origin to celebrate its first twenty-five years (yes, COVID delayed the celebration by two years). It’s been fifteen years since I’ve been active in the ITWG, due to my retirement from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. So I wondered as I ventured into the opening reception–What’s the state of the ITWG today?
Despite COVID difficulties and visa problems, the meeting was well-attended with about sixty participants. I was encouraged by encountering familiar faces and pleased with the quality of the new people I met. And I witnessed the hand-off of one of the executive co-chairs, Klaus Mayer (standing in the picture with me), to a younger colleague. It called to mind the day almost twenty years ago when I instituted the organizational structure that the ITWG still uses today, and as part of that transition, invited Klaus to become my co-chair.
I gave a talk on The Early Development of the Science of Nuclear Forensics in which I highlighted that although the U.S. strongly supported the ITWG from its inception, it wasn’t until seven years later that it started to invest in the development of the capability. Then, in what I believe was a plausible conclusion to my talk, I introduced my nuclear forensics thriller, A Dangerous Gamble. Most of the audience signed up to receive updates, because, after all, it seeks to publicize the capability that is the heart of the ITWG.
The most surprising thing I experienced at ITWG-25 was people speaking of the “magic” or the “secret sauce” of the ITWG. It’s almost unheard of to have this type of informal international technical group thrive for such a long time. Here’s what I believe are the secret-sauce ingredients:
- the ITWG’s unique composition–a mix of nuclear forensics practitioners and government officials who utilize the capability
- the group has continued in its informal and proactive approach, staying focused on the technical aspects
- the organizational culture that was established in the early years of the ITWG has persisted to this day
On that last point I take particular, well, one could call it pride. Because for the first six years of the ITWG, Lothar Koch and I were the co-chairs. Along with some key individuals from the FBI, the UK’s Metropolitan Police (i.e. Scotland Yard), and the European Commission, Lothar and I established that culture. And it lives on today.
