Non-Proliferation

U.S. State Department officials gave their assurances Tuesday that the United Nations Security Council resolution the administration is preparing to strengthen the global moratoria on nuclear explosive testing will be legally nonbinding and is not an attempt to bypass the U.S. Senate, as congressional Republicans have argued. Rose Gottemoeller, undersecretary of state for arms control […]

The Obama administration, in proposing to export highly enriched uranium (HEU) to Europe, may violate a nonproliferation agreement it made in 2012 to move away from using HEU for European medical isotope production, according to a Sept. 7 letter sent by a group of nuclear experts to the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory […]

Heavy water from Iran arrived in late August at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee for storage before being distributed to end users, according to the Department of Energy. The controversial purchase of 32 tons of heavy water was carried out under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 agreement between Iran and […]

Just hours before North Korea apparently conducted its fifth underground nuclear detonation, a group of 33 GOP senators on Thursday threatened to block U.S. funding for the international organization tasked with monitoring such activity if the Obama administration moves forward with any U.N. Security Council resolution that imposes international obligations on the United States when […]

The Obama administration, in proposing to export highly enriched uranium (HEU) to Europe, may violate a nonproliferation agreement it made in 2012 to move away from using HEU for European medical isotope production, according to a Sept. 7 letter sent by a group of nuclear experts to the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory […]

The Obama administration has not yet convincingly shown it does not intend to seek any sort of binding measure without Senate approval to promote a global prohibition on nuclear testing, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said Wednesday. The Senate would have to ratify U.S. membership in the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which […]

Heavy water from Iran has arrived at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and is being distributed to end users, the Department of Energy said Friday. The controversial purchase of a reported 32 tons of heavy water was carried out under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the 2015 agreement between Iran and six […]

Indonesia recently converted its remaining holdings of highly enriched uranium (HEU) into a low-enriched form, becoming the final nation in Southeast Asia to divest itself of the weapon-grade material, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said Monday. The NNSA said it worked with the Indonesian Nuclear Industry LLC, National Nuclear Energy Agency, and the Nuclear Energy Regulatory […]

The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is continuing testing of smartphone-sized nuclear material detectors with an eye toward deployment in 2018. The agency’s 2-year-old SIGMA program aims to develop more effective, less expensive devices for detecting even minute amounts of nuclear and radiological materials that might be used in a terrorist attack against the […]

A senior U.S. State Department official on Monday touted the benefits of President Barack Obama’s plan for a U.N. Security Council resolution against nuclear testing. With the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty still not entered into force, “we call on all states to maintain the moratoria on nuclear explosive tests. Sustaining these moratoria is in […]

The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is continuing testing of smartphone-sized nuclear material detectors with an eye toward deployment in 2018. The agency’s 2-year-old SIGMA program aims to develop more effective, less expensive devices for detecting even minute amounts of nuclear and radiological materials that might be used in a terrorist attack against the […]

A senior U.S. State Department official on Monday touted the benefits of a possible U.N. Security Council resolution against nuclear testing. With the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty still not entered into force, “we call on all states to maintain the moratoria on nuclear explosive tests. Sustaining these moratoria is in the national security interest of […]

Indonesia recently converted its remaining holdings of highly enriched uranium (HEU) into a low-enriched form, becoming the final nation in Southeast Asia to divest itself of the weapon-grade material, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said Monday. The NNSA said it worked with the Indonesian Nuclear Industry LLC, National Nuclear Energy Agency, and the Nuclear Energy Regulatory […]

The United Nations’ Open-Ended Working Group on multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations last week adopted a recommendation to begin negotiations in 2017 on a legally binding instrument banning nuclear weapons, an effort the United States continues to oppose. The working group, a forum for cooperative action and supplement to the U.N. Conference on Disarmament, adopted with […]

Nearing the end of his time in office, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is again calling for nations to bring the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty into force. “I urge Member States to act now. Those States whose ratification is required to bring the Treaty into force should not wait for others. Even one ratification […]

Several anti-nuclear groups are suing the Department of Energy and DOE officials because they believe the agency has not provided the necessary documents before authorizing up to 150 shipments of liquid highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Canada to the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The Energy Department would not verify if shipments have started, […]

Allowing new exports of U.S. highly enriched uranium to Belgium would pose a significant security threat and violate both the letter of the law and the spirit of global efforts to wean nuclear facilities off the weapon-usable material, a University of Texas professor said Thursday in a petition against a license application before the Nuclear […]

Having never persuaded Republicans that ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty would be a good idea, President Barack Obama intends to press for a U.N. Security Council resolution urging the permanent global halt to explosive nuclear weapons testing, according to news reports this week. The Washington Post reported Thursday that Obama would seek the […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has received a license application for export of highly enriched uranium to be used for medical isotope production in Belgium. The applicant is the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee, which would provide 6.7 kilograms of uranium-235, contained in no more than 7.2 kilograms of uranium and […]

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspection of construction of the Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility identified two “apparent violations” involving structural welding by plant contractor CB&I AREVA MOX Services, according to a July 25 letter from the NRC to the firm. The June 20-July 6 inspection reviewed an item that remained unresolved since a […]

Interested parties have until mid-August to request a hearing or petition for intervention regarding an application for a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license for export of highly enriched uranium to Belgium. Nuclear transportation provider Edlow International filed the application in June for authorization to transport 134.208 kilograms of uranium 235 in 144 kilograms of uranium, enriched […]

The Savannah River Site’s Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) on Tuesday approved a position paper opposing the Department of Energy facility’s possible receipt of 900 kilograms of highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Germany. The board has no authority in the matter, but its positions can be representative of the broader community on various topics. The paper, one of several […]

The Savannah River Site’s Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) on Tuesday approved a position paper opposing the Department of Energy facility’s possible receipt of 900 kilograms of highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Germany. The board has no authority in the matter, but its positions can be representative of the broader community on various topics. The paper, one of several […]

The Democratic Party’s newly published 2016 platform highlights arms control, nonproliferation, and nuclear stockpile reductions as key in U.S. national security strategy. The platform, finalized ahead of the Democratic National Convention this week in Philadelphia, criticizes Republican candidate Donald Trump for “abandoning NATO partners” and “embracing Russian President Vladimir Putin instead,” referring to Trump’s calls for […]

The Savannah River Site’s possible receipt of 900 kilograms of highly-enriched uranium (HEU) from Germany will be discussed Monday and Tuesday by the site’s Citizens Advisory Board (CAB). The board’s Nuclear Materials Committee earlier this month approved a position paper that states the CAB does not want the material to come to SRS for fear […]

The finalized Republican Party Platform unveiled this week calls for modernization of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, criticizes the Obama administration’s disarmament and arms control initiatives, and indicates the United States will confront “Russian belligerence” while promoting a partnership between the two countries on common concerns such as nuclear nonproliferation. The platform was released to coincide with […]

Top U.S. defense and energy officials testified Thursday in support of current U.S. nuclear modernization priorities and dismissed rumors that President Barack Obama plans to take nonproliferation steps in the final months of his presidency that have not been agreed upon in Congress. Responding to questions about these rumors, witnesses at a House Armed Services […]

The Savannah River Site’s potential acceptance of German spent nuclear fuel faced another discussion and vote on Tuesday. The Nuclear Materials Committee of the SRS Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) decided the issue should go before the full CAB later this month, with five members in favor of the move, three in opposition, and one abstention. The […]

The Department of Energy has completed the purchase of 32 tons of heavy water from Iran for approximately $8.6 million, sparking a renewed congressional push to block similar future deals. The purchase is part of the United States’ effort to help Iran meet its commitments under the newly implemented multilateral nuclear deal. Heavy water, used […]

The Department of Energy has completed the purchase of 32 tons of heavy water from Iran for approximately $8.6 million, alongside a renewed congressional push to block similar future deals. The purchase is part of the United States’ effort to help Iran meet its commitments under the newly implemented multilateral nuclear deal. Heavy water, used in […]