Preventing Nuclear Terrorism
Producing the materials required to build a nuclear weapon—plutonium or highly-enriched uranium (HEU)—is the most difficult part of building a nuclear weapon. Thus, preventing access to this material is essential to preventing terrorists from acquiring nuclear weapons. UCS works to prevent the use of plutonium and HEU in power and research reactors, and in reactors that produce isotopes for medical purposes.
Specifically, the United States should:
- Abandon its Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) program, which includes the reprocessing of spent fuel to extract plutonium—which can be used to make nuclear fuel but also nuclear weapons.
- Cancel its Mixed Oxide Fuel (MOX) program to dispose of excess plutonium from nuclear weapons by using it to fabricate fuel for use in nuclear power reactors. Replace this program with an "immobilization" program to mix the plutonium with radioactive waste for disposal in a geologic repository.
- Undertake a research and development program to develop new types of power reactors that would not require enriched uranium fuel.
- Acquire its medical isotopes from reactors that do not use HEU to produce these isotopes.
- Support international efforts to reduce the incentives for countries to build their own uranium enrichment facilities, and strengthen international non-proliferation institutions such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
For more information, see:
