Non-Proliferation

Two professional nuclear societies are asking Congress to confirm as U.S. ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) a senior National Security Council official whose nomination has been blocked due to Senate disagreements over the Iran nuclear deal. The American Nuclear Society (ANS) and the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) said Tuesday they […]

Creation of a new multilateral contact group and plans to continue nuclear security discussions at international conferences were rolled out last week as means of building upon the progress made in four Nuclear Security Summits in protecting dangerous materials from misuse. The two-day summit in Washington, D.C., which brought together over 50 heads of state […]

The Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) will enter into force on May 8 after being ratified by the necessary number of nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced Friday. Nicaragua’s ratification of the amendment has fulfilled the requirement that 102 state parties, or two-thirds of the state […]

Two new annual reports released by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) reaffirm agency milestones in its stockpile and nonproliferation operations and highlight infrastructure investments, the proposed termination of the mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel approach, and departmental reorganizations as recent internal areas of focus. The fiscal 2017 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan noted no significant changes […]

Richard Abott Defense Daily 4/8/2016 Many participating countries of the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit, held in Washington, D.C. last week, agreed to strengthen the cybersecurity practices of their respective nuclear facilities and work together to bolster cyber defenses. After the close of the summit on Friday, President Obama noted during a press conference  that “as part […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration on Monday issued its latest planning documents for programs to maintain the U.S. nuclear arsenal and deter the threat of nuclear proliferation and terrorism. The fiscal 2017 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan – Biennial Summary Plan addresses the state of the nuclear arsenal, including multiple weapon life-extension programs; “challenges and strategies associated […]

Nations participating in last week’s Nuclear Security Summit, the last of four under the Obama administration, issued joint pledges – known as “gift baskets” – on various aspects of nuclear security, some of which are set to be discussed at international conferences well after the conclusion of the summit process. While the White House announced […]

Plans produced and released at last week’s Nuclear Security Summit highlight information sharing and the creation of a new contact group as means to address the threat of nuclear terrorism by building upon the progress made throughout the summit process. The summit, which brought together over 50 heads of state to discuss the risk of […]

A crucial amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) is only weeks from entering into force, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday. The 2005 amendment would expand the accord’s authority from covering international transport of nuclear material used for peaceful purposes to requiring protection for such material in storage, use, […]

Rather than making another request for an environmental impact statement (EIS) before the U.S. transports liquid highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Canada to the Savannah River Site, U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.) is instead asking to remove from consideration the route that would send the uranium through his district. The Energy Department anticipates overseeing up […]

Two letters sent this week to President Obama and national leaders attending the Nuclear Security Summit underscore the importance of concerted efforts to secure nuclear materials and offer technical areas of opportunity for continued progress following the end of the summit process. In a March 28 letter, Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ed […]

Global nuclear industry leaders pledged this week to improve nuclear security practices, enhance security culture within the industry, and improve their defenses against cyberattacks to fulfill their role in the global nuclear security architecture. Industry leaders presented Wednesday a joint statement of their commitments to the national leaders participating in the Nuclear Security Summit this […]

Senior U.S. State Department officials said this week that despite Russia’s withdrawal from the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit and political challenges that have prevented the current administration from developing a strategic partnership with the country, a return to negotiations is inevitable and joint nonproliferation work continues. Frank Rose, assistant secretary of state for arms control, […]

The White House on Thursday released a specific accounting of U.S. highly enriched uranium holdings as of Sept. 30, 2013. This was the first such release in 15 years, according to a fact sheet issued on the first day of the Obama administration’s fourth and final Nuclear Security Summit. The possibility that terrorists might access […]

The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration and the Euratom Supply Agency on Friday jointly announced to swap nuclear material between the United States and Euratom member states. The deal, announced at the fourth and final Nuclear Security Summit, is based on a memorandum of understanding signed in 2014 between the two agencies for highly enriched […]

The Energy Department’s decision to officially ship 6 metric tons of diluted weapon-grade plutonium to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, N.M., ultimately registered as a pot-sweetener this week as flashier nonproliferation news stole the headlines during the final Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C. DOE made the decision Tuesday but did not publish […]

Global nuclear industry leaders pledged this week to improve nuclear security practices, enhance security culture within the industry, and improve their defenses against cyberattacks to fulfill their role in the global nuclear security architecture. Industry leaders presented Wednesday a joint statement of their commitments to the national leaders participating in the Nuclear Security Summit later […]

It appears a group of 19 nations are preparing to pledge at this week’s Nuclear Security Summit to further drive down their use of weapon-usable highly enriched uranium for civilian purposes, one expert said on Wednesday. The two-day summit, which begins Thursday in Washington, D.C., will include new pledges by individual and groups of states […]

The Energy Department on Wednesday made official its decision to send 6 metric tons of nuclear weapon-usable plutonium from the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, S.C., to the agency’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, N.M. The official stamp of approval arrives a day before the fourth and final Nuclear Security Summit convenes in […]

A senior State Department official said Tuesday that despite the challenges that have prevented the current administration from developing a strategic partnership with Russia, a return to negotiations for strategic stability is inevitable. Frank Rose, assistant secretary of state for arms control, verification, and compliance, said at the Wilson Center that the U.S. relationship with Russia has […]

Two letters sent this week to President Obama and national leaders attending the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit underscore the importance of concerted efforts to secure nuclear materials and offer technical areas of opportunity for continued progress following the end of the summit process. In a March 28 letter, Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), […]

The United States will continue to work with Russia on nonproliferation, arms control, and countering nuclear terrorism outside of the Nuclear Security Summit process, two senior State Department officials said Monday. Bonnie Jenkins, coordinator for the State Department’s threat reduction programs, said during a conference call with reporters that despite the reduction in U.S.-Russian nonproliferation activities and […]

Rather than making another request for an environmental impact statement (EIS) before the U.S. transports liquid highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Canada to the Savannah River Site, U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.) is asking to remove from consideration the route that would send the uranium through his district. The Energy Department anticipates overseeing up to […]

In response to questions about use of an old reactor facility on the federal government’s Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee, the Department of Energy confirmed that classified activities associated with nonproliferation have been taking place at the ridge-top site. Claire Sinclair, a spokeswoman for the DOE site office at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, said, “the […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has withdrawn a license application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on behalf of the Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK-CEN) for the export of 134.2 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, contained in 144 kilograms of uranium, according to correspondence shared with NS&D Monitor between the NRC and the […]

In response to questions about use of an old reactor facility on the federal government’s Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee, the Department of Energy confirmed that classified activities associated with nonproliferation have been taking place at the ridge-top site. Claire Sinclair, a spokeswoman for the DOE site office at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, said, “the […]

The United States and the regulatory China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) have commissioned a new nuclear security Center of Excellence (COE) in China, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced last week. Officials from the DOE, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and Department of Defense worked with the CAEA to open the center, which is […]

Restoring the U.S.-Russian nonproliferation relationship and sustaining U.S. nuclear security spending levels will be key in addressing security vulnerabilities that could open the door to acts of nuclear terrorism, according to a new report from Harvard University. The report from the university’s Project on Managing the Atom said that despite nuclear security improvements in recent […]

Governments and the nuclear industry worldwide should develop better systems to secure radiological sources and replace the use of certain isotopes with less dangerous alternatives, according to a new report from the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). Radiological sources such as cesium-137 and cobalt-60, used in hospitals, industry, and research centers, remain vulnerable and at risk […]

Governments and the nuclear industry worldwide should develop better systems to secure radiological sources and replace the use of certain isotopes with less dangerous alternatives, according to a new report from the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). Radiological sources such as cesium-137 and cobalt-60, used in hospitals, industry, and research centers, remain vulnerable and at risk […]