The nuclear threat has evolved significantly since the Cold War, and it continues to threaten our peace, security, and prosperity. While a terrorist attack involving a nuclear weapon is unlikely, the threat is real and requires global cooperation to reduce it.
The threat posed by non-state actors can be mitigated primarily through deterrence, but it cannot be eliminated entirely. Therefore, it is essential to prevent the acquisition of fissile material that could be used in a terrorist nuclear device (NTD)—either as weapons-usable plutonium or high-enriched uranium (HEU) or as components for an improvised nuclear device or radiological dispersal device. Numerous interagency programs have been designed to detect and intercept the theft of these materials, deter support for nuclear terrorism, and advance countermeasures and detection and attribution capabilities.
While there is much to do, progress to date has been slow. Funding levels are low, and political and bureaucratic issues have slowed down some activities for years at a time. The United States spends about $1 billion each year in cooperative efforts to secure fissile material in countries around the world, less than one-quarter of one percent of its defense budget.
Nuclear weapons are the most destructive means of warfare in human history. Whether tactical or strategic, for offensive or defensive purposes, they can have catastrophic humanitarian consequences and are prohibited under international law—in particular, the principles of distinction, proportionality, and non-use in armed conflict, the prohibition against indiscriminate attacks and weapons of mass destruction, and the prohibition against using nuclear weapons against civilian populations.
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