Revitalizing Nuclear Security in an Era of Uncertainty
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PROJECT ON MANAGING THE ATOM Revitalizing Nuclear Security in an Era of Uncertainty Matthew Bunn Nickolas Roth William H. Tobey REPORT JANUARY 2019 Project on Managing the Atom Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Harvard Kennedy School 79 JFK Street Cambridge, MA 02138 www.belfercenter.org/MTA Statements and views expressed in this report are solely those of the authors and do not imply endorsement by Harvard University, the Harvard Kennedy School, or the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. The authors of this report invite liberal use of the information provided in it for educational purposes, requiring only that the reproduced material clearly cite the source, using: Matthew Bunn, Nickolas Roth, and William H. Tobey, “Revitalizing Nuclear Security in an Era of Uncertainty,” (Cambridge, Mass: Project on Managing the Atom, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, January 2019). Design and Layout by Jacob Carozza and Andrew Facini Cover photo: A member of the Czech Army takes part in an anti-terrorism drill at the Temelin nuclear power plant near the town of Tyn nad Vltavou, Czech Republic, April 11, 2017. (REUTERS/David W Cerny) Copyright 2019, President and Fellows of Harvard College Printed in the United States of America PROJECT ON MANAGING THE ATOM Revitalizing Nuclear Security in an Era of Uncertainty Matthew Bunn Nickolas Roth William H. Tobey REPORT JANUARY 2019 Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Tom Bielefeld, Anthony Wier, and the many U.S. government officials who provided helpful comments on this paper. The authors are grateful to Jacob Carozza, Andrew Facini, Melissa Kappotis, and Ralph Grossmann for their help with the editing and preparation of the report. Research for this paper was sup ported by grants from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. About the Project on Managing the Atom The Project on Managing the Atom (MTA) is the Harvard Kennedy School’s principal research group on nuclear policy issues. Established in 1996, the purpose of the MTA project is to provide leadership in advancing policy-relevant ideas and analysis for reducing the risks of nuclear and radiological terrorism; stopping nuclear proliferation and reducing nuclear arsenals; lowering the barriers to safe, secure, and peaceful nuclear energy use; and addressing the connections among these problems. Through its fellows program, the MTA project also helps to prepare the next generation of leaders for work on nuclear policy problems. The MTA project provides its research, analysis, and commentary to policy makers, scholars, journalists, and the public. E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://belfercenter.org/MTA ii Revitalizing Nuclear Security in an Era of Uncertainty About the Authors Matthew Bunn is a Professor of Practice at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Gov ernment, and the faculty leader of the Project on Managing the Atom. Before coming to Harvard, Bunn served as an adviser to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, as a study director at the National Academy of Sciences, and as editor of Arms Control Today. He is the author or co-author of more than 25 books or major technical reports (most recently Preventing Black-Market Trade in Nuclear Technology), and over 150 articles in publications ranging from Science to The Washington Post. Nickolas Roth is a Research Associate at the Belfer Center’s Project on Managing the Atom. Before coming to Harvard, he spent a decade work- ing in Washington, D.C., where his work focused on arms control and nonproliferation policy. Mr. Roth has written dozens of articles on nuclear security, nonproliferation, and arms control. His work has appeared in or been cited by newspapers around the world. Roth is also a Research Fellow at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland. William H. Tobey is a Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School. From 2006 to 2009, he was Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation at the National Nuclear Security Administration. Mr. Tobey also served on the National Security Council Staff under three presidents, in defense policy, arms control, and counterproliferation positions. He is a member of the Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs | Harvard Kennedy School iii Table of Contents Executive Summary ......................................................................................................1 I. Introduction: The Search for Nuclear Security Excellence11 ....................... A Vision for Nuclear Security ..................................................................................................12 Assessing Nuclear Security Progress: An Uncertain Enterprise .......................................15 II. The Nuclear Terrorism Threat ........................................................................21 Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 21 Types of Nuclear Terrorism ......................................................................................................22 Box: Debating the Probability of Nuclear Terrorism ............................................................24 Means, Motive, and Opportunity for Nuclear Terrorism .....................................................26 Box: Incidents Related to U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe ..............................................30 Box: The Hatton Garden Heist ................................................................................................34 Trends and Threat Vectors Affecting the Risk of Nuclear Terrorism .................................37 Net Assessment ........................................................................................................................ 42 III. Global Nuclear Security Since 2016: A Progress Assessment45 ................ Measuring Nuclear Security Progress ....................................................................................46 Protecting Against the Full Spectrum of Plausible Threats ................................................49 Box: Demonstrated Adversary Tactics and Capabilities ......................................................52 Comprehensive, Multilayered Protection Against Insider Threats .....................................55 In-Depth Vulnerability Assessment and Realistic Performance Testing ............................60 Strong Security Cultures ..........................................................................................................64 Consolidating Nuclear Weapons and Weapons-Usable Nuclear Material .........................68 Nuclear Security in Selected Countries: 2018 .....................................................................91 Russia ............................................................................................................................... 91 Pakistan ............................................................................................................................ 95 India .................................................................................................................................. 99 iv Revitalizing Nuclear Security in an Era of Uncertainty IV. International Frameworks for Strengthening Nuclear Security105 ............. Impact of the Nuclear Security Summits ............................................................................105 The International Atomic Energy Agency ............................................................................110 The United Nations .................................................................................................................119 The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism ...........................................................121 Interpol ......................................................................................................................................122 The Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction and the G7 Summits .........................................................................................124 The Nuclear Security Contact Group ...................................................................................126 International Legal Nuclear Security Frameworks..............................................................127 Bilateral Nuclear Security Cooperation ...............................................................................130 Industry and Civil Society Organizations .............................................................................132 Nuclear Security Education and Training ............................................................................135 Good Practice Exchanges ......................................................................................................136 V. Assessing National-Level Inputs to Nuclear Security ..............................139 Effective Nuclear Security Leadership .................................................................................139 Sustained, High-Level Political Attention to Nuclear Security ......................................140 Designated Officials With Responsibility for Nuclear Security Progress