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Nuclear security

A terrorist attack using nuclear devices represents one of the most destructive risks to global security.

The repercussions would be far in excess of most conventional attacks; the geopolitical, economic and psychological impact would be felt globally. The expansion of civil nuclear power over the coming decades will place an even greater emphasis on the need to protect nuclear materials and technology from the terrorists who seek to acquire them.

Countering this threat requires a concerted effort on the part of the international community.

Nuclear Security Summit 2012

The next Nuclear Security Summit is taking place in Seoul on 26-27 March. The first such summit in Washington in 2010 was convened by President Obama as part of his drive to secure vulnerable fissile material around the world within four years. The second summit will assemble 53 countries, and the UN, the EU, the IAEA and Interpol, to assess progress and reinvigorate commitment.

The UK will report significant achievements against our commitments from Washington, including helping to secure nuclear materials in the former Soviet Union (not least, 775 bombs’ worth in Kazakhstan); hosting a successful IAEA security advisory mission to Sellafield and Barrow – we were the first nuclear weapons state to host such a visit; and contributing £4m to the International Atomic Energy Agency AEA Nuclear Security Fund, to address the most urgent nuclear security needs overseas.

Our key contribution, and one of the summit’s most innovative elements, will be our ground-breaking work on the security of nuclear information. Over the past year we have built consensus on the need for greater focus on protecting not just nuclear material but also the information that a terrorist would need to obtain the material, build it in to an improvised explosive device, and mount an attack.  Such information ranges from maps of nuclear installations, to how to construct a bomb, to how to beat border security and emergency response plans.

The Government has also agreed a National Counter Proliferation Strategy for 2012-2015. This describes where and how we focus our activities, the tools and resources we deploy, and our internal governance arrangements under the National Security Council.

The UK’s national statements and reports for the nuclear security summit, including further details of our work on nuclear information security, will be available here shortly.

Further information on the nuclear security summit can be found at the official The Nuclear Security Summit website.

The UK’s Global Threat Reduction Programme

The Global Threat Reduction Programme (GTRP) is the UK’s largest programme of counter-proliferation assistance. It provides the UK’s contribution to the Global Partnership against the spread of weapons and materials of mass destruction. 

This ten-year, $20 billion initiative was launched by the G8 at the Canadian Kananaskis Summit in 2002 and now involves more than 20 donors. Read the GTRP Seventh Annual Report 2009 here.

United Nations Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism

On 24 September 2009, the UK formally ratified the UN Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. The Convention is one of the cornerstones of the international counter-terrorism framework. It brings together the various elements of States’ work to counter nuclear terrorism into one comprehensive framework which:

• Ensures all States have made adequate legal provision to deal with the threat from nuclear terrorism
• Promotes co-operation between States to prevent acts of terrorism
• Provide a legal basis for international cooperation in the investigation, prosecution and extradition of those involved in the preparation or execution of terrorist acts involving radioactive material or a nuclear device

The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT)

The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) aims to build the capacity of partner nations to combat the threat of nuclear terrorism.

It pulls together international counter-proliferation and counter-terrorism activity drawing on border security, law enforcement, intelligence operations, emergency response efforts and military and diplomatic expertise, facilitating an information exchange on the issues between policy officials and operational experts from over 70 like-minded international partners.

All GICNT work is consistent with national laws and international legal frameworks, notably:

• The International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism [PDF, 52KB]
  
• The Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities
  
• UN Security Council Resolutions 1373 and 1540.