Three technical working groups were established for Phase I and Phase II. These working groups took on specific projects, tasks, and collaborative activities focused on nuclear weapon dismantlement.
Building on the work the first two phases, two Task Groups (Inspectors and Hosts) and a “Technology Track” were introduced in Phase III to further develop and execute scenario-based work.
Phase I Working Groups:
Monitoring and Verification Objectives
This working group examined key objectives for monitoring and verifying the dismantlement of a nuclear weapon, including the information, skills, and expertise needed to support this process. This group was co-chaired by the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
On-Site Inspections
This working group explored lessons learned from various on-site inspection regimes and identified a number of common principles and inspection procedures that can be applied to the Partnership’s work. This group was co-chaired by Australia and Poland.
Technical Challenges and Solutions
This working group investigated effective technologies, methods, and procedures that can be used for specific technical challenges in the dismantlement process, such as identifying a nuclear device, maintaining chain of custody, and protecting proliferation sensitive material. This group was co-chaired by Sweden and the United States.
Phase II Working Groups:
Verification of Nuclear Weapon Declarations
The main focus of this working group was how to verify a declaration of a number of nuclear weapons in a state. This working group was co-chaired by Poland and the United Kingdom.
Verification of Reductions
The main focus of this working group was how to verify the reduction of a declared number of nuclear weapons in a state. This working group was co-chaired by Australia and the Netherlands.
Technologies for Verification
The main focus of this working group was to identify and advance a limited number of key verification technologies. This working group was co-chaired by Sweden and the United States.
Phase III Task Groups:
The Phase III Task Groups will initially focus on a scenario developed by a dedicated task force describing a notional nuclear weapon possessing state and elements of a nuclear disarmament verification regime to test possible verification measures against the scenario.
Inspector Task Group
This group is co-chaired by Canada, Australia, and Germany
Host Task Group
This group is co-chaired by Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands
Technology Track
This group is co-chaired by Germany, the United States, and Sweden
