"Dangerous weak links" in nuke security

January 9, 2014

Study cites ‘dangerous weak links’ in nuclear security

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/01/09/world/study-cites-dangerous-weak-links-in-nuclear-security/#.Us5S-7TrV1s 

AP

WASHINGTON – The number of countries possessing the makings of a nuclear bomb has dropped by almost one-quarter over the past two years, but there remain “dangerous weak links” in nuclear materials security that could be exploited by terrorist groups with potentially catastrophic results, according to a U.S. study released Wednesday.

The study by the Nuclear Threat Initiative said Mexico, Sweden, Ukraine, Vietnam, Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary have removed all or most of the weapons-usable nuclear materials on their territories since 2012.

That has reduced the number of countries with 1 kg or more of weapons-usable nuclear materials, such as highly enriched uranium, to 25 from 32 two years ago, the study said. The Nuclear Threat Initiative is a private, nonpartisan group that advocates reducing the risk of the spread of nuclear weapons.

“That’s a big deal,” said Page Stoutland, vice president of the group’s nuclear materials security program. “Getting rid of the materials is one less country where somebody could potentially steal weapons-usable material.”

Among the 25 countries with weapons-usable nuclear materials, the study ranked Australia as having the best nuclear security arrangements, followed by Canada, Switzerland, Germany and Norway. The U.S. was ranked No. 11. The weakest nuclear security is in Israel, Pakistan, India, Iran and North Korea, according to the study, which assessed factors such as accounting methods, physical security and transportation security.

The drop in the number of countries possessing such materials could be seen as modestly encouraging for President Barack Obama’s declared ambition to lock down all of the world’s highly enriched uranium and plutonium — the building blocks of a nuclear weapon. There are an estimated 1,400 tons of highly enriched uranium and almost 500 tons of plutonium stored in hundreds of sites around the world.

The report said a significant portion of these materials is poorly secured and vulnerable to theft or sale on the black market. Relatively small amounts of highly enriched uranium or plutonium are required to build a nuclear bomb, which is a declared ambition of terrorist groups such as al-Qaida.