Nuclear Nonproliferation: DOE Made Progress to Secure Vulnerable Nuclear Materials Worldwide, but Opportunities Exist to Improve Its Efforts
Abstract
In April 2009, President Obama announced an initiative to secure all vulnerable nuclear materials--such as those that could be stolen by terrorists and used to construct a nuclear device--within 4 years. DOE is primarily responsible for activities under this initiative, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Departments of Defense (DOD) and State, and the National Security Council (NSC) also have roles. GAO was asked to examine actions taken under this initiative. This report (1) assesses the extent to which DOE achieved its goals for four key activities under the initiative and (2) examines DOE's goals going forward and assesses challenges that may limit its ability to secure additional vulnerable nuclear materials. GAO reviewed relevant documents and interviewed officials from DOE, NRC, DOD, and State, as well as discussed these issues with officials from NSC and selected foreign government agencies. This is a public version of a classified report GAO issued in August 2015.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1167237
Entities
People
- Alison O'neill
- Antoinette Capaccio
- Bridget Grimes
- Dan Feehan
- David C. Trimble
- Luke Baron
- Michelle Munn
- Rebecca Shea
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office