International Nuclear Safeguards Workforce Development in the U.S.

International nuclear safeguards are a key pillar of nonproliferation policy in the United States of America. The nonproliferation mission of the National Nuclear Security Administration/Department of Energy (NNSA/DOE) depends on a highly skilled, technically focused, and adaptive workforce. The Human Capital Development (HCD) program in the Office of International Nuclear Safeguards at the NNSA/DOE recognizes the need for highly skilled scientific and policy expertise to meet the enduring mission of international nuclear safeguards. Over a decade, the program has cultivated a set of best practices to recruit, train, and retain a skilled workforce of safeguards professionals through university outreach, fellowship programs, and professional exchanges across the NNSA laboratory complex. This abstract will share the successes and challenges of recruitment and retention in the HCD program in detail.