Reports | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Redefining deterrence: How the Obama administration should handle RRW

Yousaf Butt — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:45:55 -0800

Editor's note: The opinions expressed below are solely those of the author and not his employer.

Advice on how President-elect Barack Obama and his advisers should proceed with the country's nuclear policy, starting with the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) Program:

Redefining deterrence: Is RRW detrimental to U.S. security calculus?

Yousaf Butt — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:36:54 -0800

Editor's note: The opinions expressed below are solely those of the author and not his employer.

The Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) Program proposes to redesign the nuclear explosive package of U.S. nuclear warheads using advanced computer simulations and the experience gleaned from previous weapons tests. The advertised aim of RRW is to enhance warhead safety and security while improving confidence in the stockpile's long-term reliability--allegedly, without any new nuclear explosive tests.¹

Testing the test ban treaty: Week three of the CTBTO inspection exercise in Kazakhstan

Andreas Persbo — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:52:37 -0700

It's Wednesday, September 17, and more than two weeks have elapsed since the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) began its mock inspection exercise in Kazakhstan. A quick refresher on the particulars of the exercise: In August, the CTBTO's International Monitoring System detected seismic signals from underground shocks that looked as if they might have come from a clandestine nuclear test in the vast territory of Arcania, a fictional Central Asian republic where more than 20 nuclear weapons test explosions had been openly conducted during the Cold War.

2008 world nuclear industry status report: Western Europe

Mycle Schneider — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:40:03 -0700

The contribution of nuclear power continues to decline in Europe. As of September, 15 of the 27 countries in the enlarged EU operated 146 reactors (about one-third of the world total), down from 177 reactors in 1989. The vast majority of these facilities (125 units) are located in eight of the western EU countries--see chart. In 2007, nuclear power produced 28 percent of the EU's commercial electricity--down from 32 percent in 2002--and 12 percent of the region's commercial primary energy.

Testing the test-ban treaty: Week two of the CTBTO inspection exercise in Kazakhstan

Rebecca Johnson — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:28:37 -0700

As the on-site inspection of the former Arcanian test site entered its second week, the inspection team from the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) has begun to narrow its search for evidence on whether or not Arcania conducted a recent nuclear weapon explosion in violation of its obligations as a state party to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

2008 world nuclear industry status report: Asia

Mycle Schneider — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:21:49 -0700

Six Asian countries possess nuclear power programs--China, India, Japan, Pakistan, South Korea, and Taiwan. In 2007, they generated 523 terawatt hours--or 20 percent--of the world's nuclear electricity. That, however, represented a 3.5 percent drop in the continent's nuclear generation when compared to 2006. The decrease was mainly due to the shutdown of the seven-unit plant at Kashiwazaki, Japan, which was damaged by a 6.8-magnitude earthquake in July 2007.

2008 world nuclear industry status report: Global nuclear power

Mycle Schneider — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:30:14 -0700

Last Thursday, in the midst of the world media's constant nuclear revival reportage, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had an embarrassing announcement to make. While it has increased its projections for nuclear generation in 2030, nuclear's share of global electricity generation dropped another percentage point in 2007.

Testing the test-ban treaty: An inspection exercise in Kazakhstan

Rebecca Johnson — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:27:23 -0700

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) launched the longest and most complex of its verification field exercises on September 1, with a hypothetical scenario: In late August, the CTBTO's International Monitoring System detected seismic signals from underground shocks that looked as if they might have come from a clandestine nuclear test in the vast territory of Arcania, a fictional Central Asian republic where more than 20 nuclear weapons test explosions had been openly conducted during the Cold War.

Nuclear waste repository case studies: Germany

Michael Sailer — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:03:25 -0700

Currently, there are 17 nuclear reactors at 12 different sites in Germany. According to a 2002 amendment to the country's 1959 Atomic Energy Act, each reactor has a fixed amount of megawatt hours that it's allowed to produce. When it reaches its limit, the reactor has to be shut down permanently. Therefore, depending on their age and production history, all of Germany's reactors are expected to cease operating between 2009 and 2023.

The future of GNEP: Next steps

Leonor Tomero — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:09:42 -0700

With the global expansion of nuclear energy and the weakening of international rules governing nuclear trade, there's a risk that sensitive fuel-cycle knowledge may spread, allowing more countries to acquire the capabilities to build nuclear weapons. The Bush administration claims that its Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) will minimize this risk. Unfortunately, in reality, GNEP has encouraged the spread of the know-how that ultimately could allow many more countries to possess nuclear weapons.

The future of GNEP: Domestic stakeholders

Leonor Tomero — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:04:57 -0700

While the Bush administration has focused much attention on forging an international coalition to support the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), there are also considerable domestic stakeholders involved. In particular, to promote and build support for the program, the Energy Department has cultivated relationships with the national laboratories, universities, industry, and local businesses and governments throughout the country.

The future of GNEP: The international partners

Leonor Tomero — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:14:50 -0700

The objective of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), which President George W. Bush unveiled in 2006, is to enable the global expansion of nuclear energy while limiting the spread of uranium enrichment and reprocessing technologies.

Nuclear waste repository case studies: The Netherlands

Bob van der Zwaan — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:03:57 -0700

All Dutch radioactive waste is (or has been) produced at essentially four locations--a nuclear power plant in Borssele, a nuclear power plant in Dodewaard, a research reactor in Delft, and a research reactor in Petten. Currently, it's centrally stored at an aboveground facility of the Central Organization for Radioactive Waste (COVRA), which is situated next to the Borssele reactor on the country's Zuid-Beveland peninsula and flanks the Westerschelde estuary.¹

The Trident Dispatches No. 6: Reaction to the vote

Rebecca Johnson — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 06:09:45 -0700

After Prime Minister Tony Blair relied on Conservative leader David Cameron to force through the white paper on renewing Trident, MPs from several parties joined protesters outside the Houses of Parliament and vowed to continue the campaign to persuade the government to implement its treaty obligations and eliminate Britain's nuclear arsenal. In rallies in Edinburgh and London, they made clear that this was a long-term security issue, and it would have to be won by long-term, persistent campaigning.

The Trident Dispatches No. 5: Voting day

Rebecca Johnson — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 06:56:02 -0700

On March 9, later than expected, the British government published the motion that it wants the House of Commons to vote on March 14: "This House supports the government's decision as set out in the white paper, 'The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent' (CM6994), to take the steps necessary to maintain the U.K. minimum strategic nuclear deterrent beyond the life of the existing system and to take further steps towards meeting the U.K.'s disarmament responsibilities under Article VI of the [Nuclear] Non-Proliferation Treaty."

The Trident Dispatches No. 4: The run-up to the vote

Rebecca Johnson — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 13:57:04 -0800

On February 23, Greenpeace made waves when it joined Faslane 365 and blockaded the entrance to the Trident submarine base at Faslane, Scotland, with seven boats, including its climate-change research ship, Arctic Sunrise.

The Trident Dispatches No. 3: Tony Blair's forgetfulness

Rebecca Johnson — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 13:57:59 -0800

Two years ago, in an almost simultaneous policy turnaround, British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed his determination to develop both a further generation of nuclear weapons and a host of new nuclear power plants--ideally before he left office. Though he made his personal preference (a staunch yes) clear in both cases, he and his government promised open debate and consultations that would involve "the wider public."

The Trident Dispatches No. 2: Protests and presentations

Rebecca Johnson — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 13:57:09 -0800

British Secretary for Defence Des Browne is a man on a mission. In recent weeks, he's participated in some carefully choreographed meetings in London on Trident replacement, followed by a general debate on defense in the House of Commons and an appearance before the Parliamentary Defence Select Committee.

The Trident Dispatches No. 1: An overview of the debate

Rebecca Johnson — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 22:00:00 -0800

Does Britain need to replace its nuclear weapons? The current system, which comprises four nuclear submarines, around 50 U.S. Trident D5 ballistic missiles, and up to 200 warheads similar to the U.S. W76 (around 100 kilotons each), is good to go until well into the 2020s. So why is British Prime Minister Tony Blair so keen for a decision before he departs office?