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Logo of Atomwaffen Division. (Illustration by Skjoldbro/Wikipedia)

A threat to confront: far-right extremists and nuclear terrorism

The far-right extremist nuclear terrorism threat is amplified today by an ideology focused on accelerating the collapse of society and a documented interest in pursuing nuclear terrorism. Officials need to act decisively to better understand and mitigate this threat.
nuclear plant France

Why countries still must prioritize action to curb nuclear terrorism

When a Superman-shaped drone crashed into a French nuclear plant on July 3 officials were lucky it was just Greenpeace demonstrating vulnerabilities at the facility, and not a terrorist group intent on attacking the site.

A security system commensurate with the risk of nuclear terrorism

A hot mic shouldn't overshadow a dirty bomb. The Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul ended recently with two dominant story lines: President Obama's "hot mic" comments to Russian President Medvedev and the 53 participating governments congratulating themselves on the summit's outcomes. Both miss the key strategic problem that the Seoul Summit did not address: the need to unify the current patchwork, largely voluntary approach to nuclear security that is not commensurate with the risk or consequences of nuclear terrorism.

New online course from The William J. Perry Project: The Threat of Nuclear Terrorism

  Announcing a new free online course from The William J. Perry Project: The Threat of Nuclear Terrorism. In this custom-designed MOOC, former Secretary of Defense William Perry brings together internationally-renowned experts, scientists, political activists and scholars to address the critical, and often poorly understood, dangers of nuclear terrorism. This new course launches October 17th—you … Continued

Nerds, ninjas, and neutrons: The story of the Nuclear Emergency Support Team

Recently declassified material and other information that has never before appeared in the public domain allow a glimpse into the workings of the Nuclear Emergency Support Team —often one of the first agencies to respond whenever there is an incident involving a nuclear weapon or a nuclear reactor.

Nuclear Roundup: 2/8/2017

A compilation of quality nuclear policy news published on the Web, around the world. Iran Nuclear Deal Donald Trump’s stance on Iran nuclear deal could mean trouble ahead United States Monroe: Trump should undo Obama’s disastrous nuclear policies Alexander Gillespie: Nuclear winter just a GOP-skipping Trump away International How to really deal with the North … Continued

What if nuclear weapons are used?

The world relies too much on the indefinite continuation of the post-1945 taboo on military use of nuclear weapons.

A complex nuclear situation, in a complicated world

The text of an address given at the Asahi Shimbun Symposium in Nagasaki, Japan, late in July.

Whither the anti-terrorism budget?

Nuclear terrorism is the ultimate preventable catastrophe. If highly enriched uranium and plutonium are adequately secured or eliminated, they cannot be stolen for use in a nuclear device. In 2011, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper noted that "poorly secured stocks of [chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials] provide potential source material for terror attacks." Osama bin Laden may be dead, but the threat of nuclear terrorism remains.

2012 Nuclear Security Summit: What it was and wasn’t

This week, world leaders descended on Seoul, South Korea, for the second global Nuclear Security Summit -- a project that started with President Obama's call to secure all vulnerable nuclear material in four years (by the end of 2013). Unfortunately, most of these world leaders did not storm the gates of the summit ready to fight for that deadline. Many walked into a meeting already overshadowed by various domestic agendas and geopolitics, putting a damper on the real purpose of the gathering.

Nuclear Roundup: 5/15/2018

A daily roundup of quality nuclear policy news. Iran Iranian Foreign Minister visits Russia and China to try to save nuclear deal With few options, Iran, Europe try to save nuclear deal EU tells Iran it will try to protect firms from US sanctions We have no Iran policy By ending the Iran deal, Trump … Continued

Nuclear Roundup: 4/27/2017

A compilation of quality nuclear policy news published on the Web, around the world. Iran Nuclear Deal Tangled in Obama’s Iran nuclear trap What the North Korea crisis says about the Iranian nuclear deal Scuttle the Iran Nuke Deal? That Approach Didn’t Stop North Korea United States Two to Tango with Nuclear Weapons Here’s what … Continued

Nuclear Roundup: 10/05/16

A compilation of quality nuclear policy news published on the Web, around the world. Iran Nuclear Deal Kaine: IDF chief agrees Iran deal stopped nuclear program United States NNSA Head: ‘All Bets Are Off’ for Warhead Modernization Under Sequestration Meet a Machine: RPMs keep watch 24/7 to strengthen global nuclear security South Carolina Nuclear Fuel … Continued

Nuclear Roundup: 4/7/2017

A compilation of quality nuclear policy news published on the Web, around the world. Iran Nuclear Deal Subcommittee Weighs Iran’s Nuclear Threat House Hearing: ASSESSING THE IRAN DEAL United States Senate Hearing: United States Southern Command and United States Northern Command Future of DOE heavy water supply still uncertain International Tillerson to Chair UN Meeting … Continued

Nuclear Roundup: 4/6/2017

A compilation of quality nuclear policy news published on the Web, around the world. United States Trump picks Bush veteran to be Rick Perry’s deputy Detecting Nuclear Threats, Rogue Ships and Bad Actors A Chinese-owned Westinghouse? Washington is worried Breakthrough Next-Gen NIF Optics Boost Energy and Limit Damage International The North Korean nuclear threat keeps … Continued

Nuclear Roundup: 10/10/16

A compilation of quality nuclear policy news published on the Web, around the world. Iran Nuclear Deal Small failures in JCPOA implementation can create big issues: IAEA chief United States Wayne Brasure Nominated as Full-Time Domestic Nuclear Detection Office Chief at DHS A recipe for wasteful spending: South Carolina Pork with Russian Dressing Demolition of … Continued

When meetings aren’t enough

Holding another Nuclear Security Summit is a good idea, but leaders must go further.

The oversight imperative

The prevention of nuclear terrorism, one of the foremost international security threats that we face today, relies on separate national regulations with little oversight. There are few international checks and balances on the physical protection of the treacherous material, which could be used to create nuclear devices by terrorists, aside from bilateral agreements and individual treaties formed at the will of individual states. This lack of binding guidelines and international oversight of nuclear security is inadequate for today's nuclear risks.
Siegfried Hecker (second from right) visits the secret Russian nuclear city of Sarov in February 1992. Credit: screen grab from Stanford University "Doomed to Cooperate" video, available on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81ZpFLO4hmE&t=1s

Siegfried Hecker: Putin has destroyed the world nuclear order. How should the democracies respond?

In this interview, renowned nuclear security and policy expert Sig Hecker explains the enormous damage that Russian President Vladimir Putin has done to the world nuclear order via his decision to invade Ukraine. That decision marks, Hecker contends, a turning point in world nuclear affairs as momentous as the dissolution of the Soviet Union.