tary Strategy of the United States of America 2011states:
“The intersection between states, state-sponsored, and
non-state adversaries is most dangerous in the area of
WMD proliferation and nuclear terrorism” (Mullen
2011, 3). Additionally, preventing terrorist acts against
nuclear energy infrastructure, as discussed in the sec-
tion on Energy Security, are important both to directly
ensure the availability of the resource and to prevent
an erosion of public support for nuclear energy which
could indirectly deny the resource. The NPR lists nu-
clear proliferation as today’s next pressing threat, spe-
cifically calling out actions by North Korea and Iran:
In pursuit of their nuclear ambitions, North Korea and
Iran have violated nonproliferation obligations, defied
directives of the United Nations Security Council, pur-
sued missile delivery capabilities, and resisted inter-
national efforts to resolve through diplomatic means
the crises they have created (Gates 2010, 3).There are three key elements listed in the NPR
for preventing nuclear terrorism and proliferation.
The first element is most applicable to nuclear ener-
gy, while the latter two relate specifically to current
nuclear weapons. The nuclear energy related element
has multiple initiatives, the first of which is to “bolster
the nuclear non-proliferation regime and its center-
piece, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), by
reversing the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and
Iran” (Gates 2010, vi). Also identified is the need to
strengthen UN IAEA safeguards and their enforce-
ment, and to curb the illicit trade of nuclear materials
and technologies. Finally, the NPR calls for “promot-
ing the peaceful uses of nuclear energy without in-
creasing proliferation risks” (Gates 2010, vii).