NGO Documents: Nuclear Weapons and Materials

This section of the Source Documents Library highlights major research reports and web-based publications related to nuclear weapons, fissile material, nuclear energy and power plants. NTI and the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies update this section weekly. (To access documents published by governmental organizations, see the Governmental Documents section.) For links to nongovernmental organizations that regularly publish journal articles, see the NTI links page and the Periodicals section.

updated July 10, 2008

Back from the Margins: The Centrality of Nuclear Disarmament

Dr. John Burroughs, Middle Powers Initiative, March 2008 View report This is a Briefing paper for the Fifth Meeting of the Article VI Forum in Dublin, Ireland. The Article VI Forum aims to enfold the steps into what was formerly called the unequivocal undertaking to eliminate nuclear arsenals. This briefing paper discusses the reduction of nuclear forces and de-alerting. It further examines the issues of missile defense and space security and programs for the abolition.

U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments and Issues

Amy F. Woolf, Center for Defense Information, February 25, 2008 View report In her report, Amy F. Woolf of the Congressional Research Service examines the triad that makes up the U.S. nuclear forces: submarine-launched missiles, ICBMs and bombers. The report takes an in-depth look at the history of each delivery system and at differences between the military services controlling the weapons systems and congressional mandates to change them in spite of service disagreements.

Global Fissile Material Report 2007

The International Panel on Fissile Materials, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2007 View report A complete report of global fissile material stockpiles and productions as well as controls.

U.S. to Add New Surplus Plutonium to Earlier Plans for Conversion Into Reactor Fuel, Official Says

Greg Webb, Global Security Newswire , September 19, 2007 View report A U.S. official yesterday clarified Monday’s announcement that the United States would remove 9 metric tons of plutonium from the U.S. nuclear arsenal, expressing confidence that the material would be in addition to 34 tons the United States has already committed to eliminate (see GSN, Sept. 17). U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman announced the move here in a speech to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s annual meeting. However, his remarks left it unclear whether the 9 tons would constitute an increase or simply a component of the 34 tons Washington has promised to immobilize or burn as mixed-oxide reactor fuel under a bilateral agreement with Russia.

NGO Statement from the CTBT Entry into Force Conference

CTBT Conference, September 18, 2007 View report NGO Statement on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) for the Fifth Article XIV Conference on Facilitating Entry Into Force.

U.S. Cuts Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Europe

Oliver Meier, Arms Control Association, September 2007 View report The United States may have quietly removed all 130 nuclear weapons from its air force base in Ramstein, Germany. Before the withdrawal, Ramstein had been the biggest U.S. nuclear base in Europe. If true, the withdrawal means that there are probably about 350 U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe, down from thousands at the height of the cold war.

U.K. Trident Debate Energizes Opposition to Nuclear Weapons

Eric Hundman, Center for Defense Information, March 21, 2007 View report Submarine-launched Trident ballistic missiles are currently the United Kingdom's only nuclear delivery system, and the submarines that carry them are nearing the end of their operational lifetimes. A serious debate has arisen in Britain over whether new submarines should be developed -- and, by extension, whether the country should renew its independent nuclear deterrent.

New Nuclear Designs, New Questions

Wade Boese, Arms Control Association, January/February 2007 View report Recent scientific studies have concluded that a core element of most U.S. nuclear warheads will last decades longer than previously predicted. Still, government officials and a recent Pentagon task force say the U.S. nuclear stockpile and production complex are outdated and must be revamped.

Shoring Up a Crucial Bridge: South Africa’s Pressing Nuclear Choices

Jack Boureston and Jennifer Lacey, Arms Control Association, January/February 2007 View report Taking advantage of an unusual nuclear history; an innovative, domestic nuclear power industry; and strong ties with other strategic countries, South Africa is emerging as a crucial bridge between developed and developing countries on nuclear issues. South Africa’s outspoken support for “all” country’s rights to develop nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes and its renewed interest in developing its own nuclear fuel cycle puts it at center stage in nonproliferation debates.

The Great Guessing Game: Russia and the Iranian Nuclear Issue

Vladimir A. Orlov and Alexander Vinnikov, The Washington Quarterly, November 2006 View report The dynamic in the Iranian nuclear issue has begun to shift. As Moscow moves from behind-the-scenes dialogue with Tehran on nonproliferation toward a more visible and active role, the question that remains is: what is Russia likely to do now?

NEWS ANALYSIS: The Growing Nuclear Fuel-Cycle Debate

Oliver Meier, Arms Control Association, November 2006 View report The nations of the world confront serious and immediate threats from the global presence of some 27,000 nuclear weapons. They also face the possibility that some nation or group still has or soon could have biological or chemical weapons. A wide variety of delivery mechanisms for these weapons exists, including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, aircraft, artillery, ships, trucks, and envelopes. There is also now the added danger that terrorist organizations could kill thousands with these weapons or destroy or sabotage critical urban and industrial infrastructures.

Nuclear Proliferation Status, 2006

Joseph Cirincione, The American Physical Society, July 2006 View report The nations of the world confront serious and immediate threats from the global presence of some 27,000 nuclear weapons. They also face the possibility that some nation or group still has or soon could have biological or chemical weapons. A wide variety of delivery mechanisms for these weapons exists, including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, aircraft, artillery, ships, trucks, and envelopes. There is also now the added danger that terrorist organizations could kill thousands with these weapons or destroy or sabotage critical urban and industrial infrastructures.

Recognizing Iran as a Strategic Threat: An Intelligence Challenge for the United States

GlobalSecurity, Staff Report of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Subcommittee on Intelligence Policy August 23, 2006 View report Threats against the United States and Israel by Iranian President Ahmadinejad – coupled with advances in the Iranian nuclear weapons program, support for terror, and resistance to international negotiations on its nuclear program – demonstrate that Iran is a security threat to our nation that requires high caliber intelligence support. The seriousness of the Iranian threat has been amplified by the recent rocket attacks against Israel by the Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, which, according to press accounts, has received as many as 10,000 rockets from Iran.

Bush, Putin to Seek Nuclear Cooperation Pact

Miles A. Pomper, Arms Control Association, September 2006 View report President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed July 15 to open negotiations on an agreement that would permit full nuclear cooperation between their countries. They vowed, as well, to encourage other states to renounce some civil nuclear technologies that can also be used to produce nuclear weapons.

The Global Threat Reduction Initiative's First Two Years

Center for Defense Information, September 6, 2006 View report On May 26, 2004, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI), a collaborative program aimed at securing vast stocks of dangerous nuclear material scattered around the globe. The program, run by a semi-autonomous agency within the DOE known as the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), has two central elements: repatriating or otherwise securing nuclear fuel; and converting reactors to use new, more proliferation-resistant technology. The program has seen some success and has even received more funding than expected, but so far progress has been slower than initially hoped.

Uranium Enrichment and Nuclear Weapon Proliferation

Allan S. Krass, Peter Boskma, Boelie Elzen and Wim A. Smit, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, January 2006 View report This book originally published in 1983 now available electronically  presents the technical and political information necessary to evaluate the emerging threat to world security posed by then recent advances in uranium enrichment technology.

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This material is produced independently for NTI by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, agents. Copyright © 2003 by MIIS.

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