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Nuclear Terrorism Assessment of U.S. Strategies to Prevent, Counter, and Respond to Weapons of Mass Destruction (2024) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix B: Five Eras of Nuclear Terrorism
Pages 121-125

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From page 121...
... Beginning in 1991, the United States led an emergency effort in response to the grave nuclear security risks emanating from the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Concerns about inadequate security and the risk of stolen nuclear weapons or materials amid the economic, political, and institutional crisis brought about by the Soviet collapse, led to the introduction of the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR)
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From page 122...
... Beginning in 2005, under the Bratislava Nuclear Security Initiative, the United States and Russia intensified their collaboration focused on upgrading security of Russian nuclear facilities, expanding emergency response, enhancing nuclear security culture, accelerating research reactor conversions and fuel repatriation, and sharing best practices.4 While the U.S.-Russian initiative still represented the bulk of the international nuclear security cooperation, there were further developments in bolstering international nuclear security architecture. In 2005, parties to the CPPNM agreed to an amendment that expanded the convention's scope to include the protection of nuclear materials located in nuclear facilities dedicated to peaceful uses and to strengthen protection against sabotage of nuclear facilities.
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From page 123...
... In 2014, nuclear security cooperation at Russian nuclear facilities stopped after Russia invaded Ukraine.6 The United States played an important role in creating China's nuclear security Center of Excellence, but that effort did not ultimately lead to expanded cooperation.7 There was little progress in strengthening nuclear security cooperation with India and other countries with nuclear facilities or weapons-useable materials. The Nuclear Security Summit era extended beyond the summits themselves.
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From page 124...
... Two recent crises, the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a country with a large nuclear infrastructure, have raised questions about how regulatory oversight, physical protection systems, and even international institutions should prepare for and respond to protracted anthropomorphic or naturally occurring crises.11 Domestically, political polarization is changing society in ways that challenge systems to detect and mitigate insider threats. 11 Christopher Hobbs, Nickolas Roth & Daniel Salisbury (2021)
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From page 125...
... With relations between the United States and Russia at a historical nadir, it is unclear when, or if, nuclear security cooperation will resume or what form that cooperation would take in the future. Even areas of bilateral cooperation where norms are much stronger, like legally binding, verifiable limits on nuclear weapons deployments, are in doubt with Russia's decision to suspend its participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
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Key Terms

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  • nuclear facilities
  • security cooperation
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  • physical protection
  • nuclear materials
  • russian nuclear
  • nuclear material
  • strengthening nuclear

  • nuclear terrorism
  • evolving risks
  • belfer center
  • bolstering international
  • security culture

  • summit process
  • rapidly evolving
  • security architecture
  • summit era
  • russians engaged

  • significant world
  • strengthen security
  • emergency effort
  • emergency response
  • security initiative

  • energy agency
  • grave nuclear
  • russia invaded
  • nuclear cooperation
  • fissile materials


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