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Security

Old dogs, new tricks

26 Jan 2026 - Jeremy Mercer

ITER’s security needs are evolving as the project’s needs evolve, but traditional guard dogs remain as valuable as ever

ITER’s security team includes seven dog handlers and there is at least one canine team patrolling the site 24 hours a day. Here, Gwennael Wartelle and his guard dog Maïna patrol behind the Tokamak Building.

Standing on a hill overlooking ITER’s Tokamak Building and the bustle of one of the planet’s most advanced science and engineering projects, Gwennael Wartelle gives his old-fashioned piece of technology a scratch behind the ears.

“Dogs are great for security at ITER,” says Wartelle. “They can be dissuasive and help in an active situation if I take the muzzle off, but they’re also friendly animals that can make people feel at ease.”

Over the years, security procedures at ITER have changed in parallel with the progress of the project, evolving from the temporary fence that was erected around the perimeter of the site in 2007 as clearing and levelling activities were underway to the 24-hour security presence, controlled access, and vehicle checks implemented when ITER was decreed an official nuclear facility in November 2012. Recently, security protocols tightened again with new monitoring requirements implemented in 2025 when ITER was granted official authorization for the import, transport, possession, and use of Category IV nuclear materials (see inset). And, in the future, there will be even stricter security requirements when tritium arrives on site for deuterium-tritium plasma operations in the 2030s. But from ITER’s first day to its last, there will be one constant: the faithful patrol dog.

Between 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2025, 1,370,000 vehicles were visually checked upon entry to the ITER site (some multiple times).

“We approach security with the acronym THO: technical, human, organizational,” said Xavier Peaucelle, the leader of the Security and Safety Section at ITER. He explained that security relies on three key elements: technical measures such as cameras, an organization responsible for designing and implementing the security strategy, and the human factor—especially the dogs and their handlers—which will always play a vital role in alerting, detecting, deterring, and informing.

As with any big organization, ITER needs a security team to protect its site, equipment, and people, and its missions include everything from making sure visitors are safe during an Open Doors Day to coordinating security for high-profile events such as the visit by Prime Minister Modi and President Macron. Beyond this, due to Article 14 of the ITER Agreement that specifies* areas where the national laws and regulations of the Host state (France) apply, there are two key sets of French national regulations for nuclear activities that must be respected. First, as an official “installation nucléaire de base” or INB, ITER is subject to regulations laid out by the French ASNR (Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection) to ensure the site’s buildings and components meet the operating standards for a nuclear facility

The second set of regulations comes from the French Ministry of Energy’s HFDS agency (Haut fonctionnaire de défense et de sécurité), which is responsible for energy sector defence plans for natural disasters, terrorism, and other crises. While the ASNR sets the rules to make sure construction, science, and engineering norms are respected so there are no problems during nuclear operation, the HFDS sets the rules for transportation and protection of nuclear materials to ensure against theft or leaks due to malicious acts or targeted attacks. ITER needs to successfully fulfill both sets of requirements to operate as a nuclear facility in France.

A team of nine ITER Organization staff ensures security at ITER with the support of more than 60 security officers from the Seris security firm. Pictured here from left to right are Ingrid Chiaramonte, Xavier Peaucelle, Michael Bouvant, Sylvain Duparchy, Laure Zingraff, Stephane Marco, Nicolas Tourniaire, and Sebastien Mineo.

The HFDS requirements are folded into the responsibilities of ITER’s team of nine ITER personnel and supported by 11 receptionists from ONET Accueil and more than 60 security guards from the SERIS Group. The canine patrols are at the forefront of the new enhanced monitoring efforts.

“When we have an intrusion alarm, we perform what we call a ‘removal of doubt’ and the operational response is the dogs,” explains Sylvain Duparchy, the ITER Security Officer in charge of on-the-ground operations. “This supports the way we protect our people and the site if we ever have to deal with an intrusion or a malicious act.”

Up until now, the canine patrols have mainly played a dissuasive role as there have been no major security incidents at ITER. To provide a visible security presence, Gwennael Wartelle can walk more than 10 kilometres a shift as he patrols the 180-hectare site. He is always accompanied by one of his two official guard dogs, Belgian Malinois named Maïna and Balou. 

“I’ve been around dogs since I was a baby when my family had a German Shepherd named Choupette,” says Wartelle, who is 42 and started his security job at ITER four years ago. “This is a profession of passion and it’s special here because we are protecting something so important. I hope my dogs and I can be part of it for a while.”

Considering that security will be enhanced again in the 2030s and maintained until the 2050s, dogs like Maïna and Balou­—and generations after them—are sure to have a place at ITER for a long time to come.

*Article 14 of the ITER Agreement states: "The ITER Organization shall observe applicable national laws and regulations of the Host State in the fields of public and occupational health and safety, nuclear safety, radiation protection, licensing, nuclear substances, environmental protection and protection from acts of malevolence."

Nuclear Materials Authorization Order

ITER reached a major security milestone in the summer of 2025 when the project received official French authorization for the possession, use, transfer, and import of Category IV or below nuclear materials.

The Category IV rating applies to nuclear materials that have a low proliferation risk but nonetheless require strict oversight. “We needed this authorization to run ITER. It’s a major regulatory requirement with direct implications for operations, security management, and compliance,” says Laure Zingraff, the ITER Nuclear Security Engineer who spent three years preparing the dossier for validation. “It’s an interesting challenge to determine how we adapt to the evolving security obligations.”

On a practical level, since the new authorization was granted in July, ITER has had to increase its reporting, such as notifying the French government three months in advance about a security post changing location or new storage facilities for the gammagraphy equipment used for non-destructive testing. There will also be periodic inspections by the Ministry of Energy, which oversees the authorization.

Since receiving its nuclear materials authorization order in July 2025, ITER has been running an awareness campaign about the new compliance and monitoring requirements.
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