The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) is hosting an event this week in Virginia to bring together international government officials and nuclear industry experts to discuss radiological, nuclear and cyber security priorities.
The project was initially launched to define the Nuclear Security Summit process and to strengthen global nuclear materials security.
Earlier this year, NTI’s Global Dialogue on Nuclear Security Priorities group began making recommendations to build an effective security system for all weapons-usable nuclear materials materials, which include highly enriched uranium and plutonium needed to build nuclear bombs.
The focus this week is to expand the number of participants from the industry in order to increase interaction between state-level officials and experts. Talks will build on work done by previous Global Dialogues on nuclear materials security, but also will explore various proposals for addressing cyber security at nuclear facilities and the security of radiological materials.
“Since its inception, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) has encouraged governments to take ambitious action to reduce global threats posed by weapons of mass destruction, including the threat of catastrophic nuclear terrorism,” Joan Rohlfing, NTI president and chief operating officer, said previously in a paper on nuclear security priorities.
The Global Dialogue aims to increase consensus to address new and continuing challenges the nuclear security system faces. Discussions also include providing progress updates on system changes since the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit, and advanced discussion options for strengthening the Convention on Physical Protection regime.