nuclear-news

USA’s poor security of its own enriched uranium and dead nuke weapons

Will U.S. Inaction on its own Nuclear Security Issues Compromise Summit Success?Across the Aisle: The PSA Blog, by Peter Stockton and Ingrid Drake | April 7th, 2010 “…..Frankly, if we want other nations to follow, we have to lead by example. Highly enriched uranium (HEU) is a prime target for nuclear terrorists: with about 100 pounds it is possible to make an improvised nuclear device that could create a blast on par with the one that devastated Hiroshima. Yet, the U.S. has the world’s second largest stock of HEU and plutonium.

Although U.S. security of this material has improved since 9/11, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is still uncovering far too many weaknesses within the nuclear weapons complex. In addition, the FY 2011 budget has decreased funding for dismantlement and for the most effective method of securing HEU (called downblending), and has increased funding for the construction of a facility that will create a long-term purpose for storing large stocks of HEU. This does not provide the other Summit nations much incentive to secure or reduce their own stockpiles….

Another step is to increase funding for dismantling the growing backlog of retired nuclear warheads. Until the retired weapons are dismantled, they could still be used by the U.S. (or terrorists). In addition, a number of our most secure military storage bunkers are nearly full. Unless dismantlement is accelerated, it’s unclear where the additional retired warheads resulting from the new START treaty and the Nuclear Posture Review will go.

Across the Aisle: The PSA Blog » Will U.S. Inaction on its own Nuclear Security Issues Compromise Summit Success?

April 9, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, plutonium, radioactive, uranium