Obama Orders Up More Money for Nukes, Less to Keep Them in Safe Hands By Josh Harkinson Last week, President Barack Obama claimed to be less worried about security threats from Russia than “the prospect of a nuclear weapon going off in Manhattan.” If that’s the case, however, it isn’t reflected in his latest military […]
Roll Call Publishes OpEd on Nuclear Material Security by Gen. George A. Buskirk & Board Member, Alexandra Toma
Filling Gaps in the Fight Against Nuclear Terror By George A. Buskirk and Alexandra Toma A little past midnight at a gas station in Mexico a man approached a car, forced the driver and passenger out at gunpoint and bound them in an empty parking lot before driving off. In the carjacked vehicle was Cobalt-60, […]
Nuclear Summit Showed Continued Commitment to Global Security, Questions Remain
“These achievements enhance U.S. and global security by reducing the risk of nuclear terrorism,” added Reif. “Despite this important progress, however, many important countries with large amounts of nuclear material did not sign-up to key gift baskets, there is still no global requirement for how secure nuclear material should be, and it remains to be seen what international institution or forum will be responsible for sustaining continuous attention and progress on nuclear security once the Summit process ends in 2016.”
Nuclear Summit Shows Commitment but Actions Must Match Rhetoric
“The President’s leadership, both domestically and internationally, has drawn much-needed attention to the importance of nuclear security and spurred countries around the world to take actions that will make America and the globe safer,” added Reif. “Despite impressive progress, significant security gaps remains and more work is needed to address them.”
The 2014 Nuclear Security Summit and the Shadow of the Future
As the Netherlands prepares to host the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit from March 24-25, the end of the forum itself is also approaching. As with previous summits, the focus of this year’s summit will be on preventing nuclear terrorism. The United States expects the Summit to advance this goal in three key areas: further commitments to dispose of highly enriched uranium (HEU) and plutonium, efforts to strengthen the global “nuclear security architecture,” and “assurances,” or voluntary actions that states can take to demonstrate to the international community that they are maintaining high standards for nuclear security without disclosing sensitive information.
