The Project on Managing the Atom participated as a NGO delegation in the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) at the United Nations in New York. This review conference comes at a time when nuclear fears amid the conflict in Ukraine loom large.

In 2011, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released the fifth revision of its Nuclear Security Recommendations on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities. This update of IAEA nuclear security guidance was a significant improvement upon its predecessors, suggesting new and strengthened approaches to nuclear security in a range of areas. Nearly a decade later, however, the global nuclear security landscape has changed. Nuclear security regulations and practices have improved. International institutions and norms supporting global nuclear security architecture are stronger. Countries have made new political commitments to strengthening their nuclear security. Legally binding agreements are more widely subscribed than they were before. Meanwhile, new global threats have surfaced, presenting new challenges to physical protection systems. A range of emerging technologies creates new opportunities, but also new risks.

Nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists can kill millions and wreak the world. This essential truth underpins the enduring, bipartisan U.S. commitment to enhancing the security of nuclear weapons and the materials that can make them.

During 2017, the Belfer Center was honored to welcome a number of new senior fellows, dedicated public servants who have served in high-levels of government. All of the new faces in our midst help the Center build bridges across aisles and oceans as they work with students, faculty, and other fellows to tackle today’s most challenging issues.  We were pleased to announce the following senior fellows during 2017.

Graham Allison, Laura Holgate, Payam Mohseni, Gary Samore, Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Ariane Tabatabai, William Tobey, and Jon Wolfsthal provide insight and thoughts on the Iran Nuclear Agreement.

Working from non-alternative facts, there is not much to link the JCPOA and AMIPA.  To the extent that they are related, the JCPOA modestly advances AMIPA’s intent, which is to reduce the commercial use of highly enriched uranium, thus reducing proliferation risk.

Biological threats have a way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it. This summer, while nuclear tensions are center stage, we can’t afford to divert attention from biological threats. Pathogens know no borders, don’t have passports, can come from a bioterrorist or Mother Nature and can ignite already volatile situations. And the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey in Texas is yet another reminder of the importance of health security before, during and after a crisis.

"Belfer Center Newsmakers" highlights members of the Belfer Center community who have been featured recently in the news.

A lively discussion of “Russiagate” at the JFK Jr. Forum on Tuesday, May 2, launched the 2017 annual meeting of the Belfer Center International Council . 

This investment in enhancing our protection against nuclear threats is just one example of how the foreign-affairs budget supports our own national security.