Nuclear Security: Looking Ahead
Howard L. HallORAU Annual Meeting, Oak Ridge, TN
March 6, 2014
UT established the Institute for Nuclear Security in 2012
INS fosters multi-organizational collaborations to conduct interdisciplinary work critical to national and global needs in nuclear security.
Nuclear security cannot be satisfactorily addressed by any one entity… How do we assure that R/N material and technology is
where it is supposed to be, being used for its intended purpose, and properly protected – anywhere in the world?
How do we detect things outside the bounds of appropriate use?
How do we effectively deal with bad events? How well can we understand the line between what we do
know and what we think we know? How do we effectively acculturate good nuclear security
values?
One of the hardest problems
Nuclear benefits abound…
Implementing lower carbon-emitting energy
Providing baseload electricity in the developing world
Beijing skyline Temelin NPSCzech Republic
… but each brings issues of concern.
Fukushima Daiichienvironmental impact
Suspected DPRK enrichment facility
US security forces
Significant progress has been made
NNSA packaging nuclear materialsNNSA Pu
recovery mission
2012 Nuclear Security Summit
Final “Megatons to Megawatts” shipment
But challenges yet remain
Strategic arms
Cybercrime and Information Security
Terrorism
Stolen source (Mexico)
Y-12 intrusion
Hard problems remain unresolved
Robert S. Norris and Hans M. Kristensen, "Global nuclear stockpiles, 1945-2006," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 62, no. 4 (July/August 2006), 64-66.
IAEA: During 2012, 160
nuclear trafficking incidents.
Insider threats
Key issues looking forward
Continuing risk reduction activities
Nuclear arms control and reduction, strengthening regional security
Global standards, transparency, and accountability
Nuclear security culture
Stronger incident response capabilities
Reducing opportunity for diversion/theft in future plans
Human-in-the-loop system reliability
Broaden NS partnership with industry, NGOs, and academia
Strengthen norms and international laws/regulations on nuclear security
Sustainability
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