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Standing on a hill overlooking ���ߺ���’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 ���ߺ���,” 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 ���ߺ��� 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 ���ߺ��� was decreed an official nuclear facility in November 2012. Recently, security protocols tightened again with new monitoring requirements implemented in 2025 when ���ߺ��� 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 ���ߺ���’s first day to its last, there will be one constant: the faithful patrol dog.

“We approach security with the acronym THO: technical, human, organizational,” said Xavier Peaucelle, the leader of the Security and Safety Section at ���ߺ���. 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, ���ߺ��� 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 ���ߺ��� 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, ���ߺ��� 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. ���ߺ��� needs to successfully fulfill both sets of requirements to operate as a nuclear facility in France.

The HFDS requirements are folded into the responsibilities of ���ߺ���’s team of nine ���ߺ��� personnel and supported by 11 receptionists from ONET Accueil and more than 60 security guards from the . 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 ���ߺ��� 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 ���ߺ���. 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 ���ߺ��� 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 ���ߺ��� for a long time to come.

*Article 14 of the ���ߺ��� Agreement states: "The ���ߺ��� 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."