increased worldwide use of nuclear energy, especially
new nuclear fuel processing/reprocessing, comes in-
creased potential for proliferation of nuclear materials
and weapons.
Sustainability Considerations
In terms of energy security there are two primary
sustainability considerations. The first is related to
the current costs incurred by the nation in its attempt
to maintain energy security in the context of its cur-
rent dependence on foreign oil and the worldwide
dependence on oil from the Middle East. These costs
are debatable, but are certainly considerable. Reduc-
ing these costs largely equates to reducing the depen-
dence on foreign oil. As described, nuclear energy can
indirectly contribute to that end.
Second, energy security more directly related to
domestic nuclear energy involves the physical and cy-
ber security of nuclear facilities and spent fuel storage
locations. This includes susceptibility to both man-
made and natural threats. The sustainability implica-
tion is not just the physical loss of nuclear capacity, as
is now the case in Japan, where 4 reactors have been
lost, but also the impact of such an event on public
and political will, which in itself can deny the nation’s
optimum use of a valuable resource, as has largely
been the case in the United States since the 1979 Three
Mile Island incident.
Climate Change
The JOE 2010: Joint Operating Environment, pro-
duced by U.S. Joint Forces Command, states: “Climate
change is included as one of the ten trends most likely
to impact the Joint Force” (Mattis 2010, 32). In a 2007