NTI report examines regressing nuclear security conditions

A Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) analysis maintains nuclear security conditions are regressing among the dozens of countries, as well as areas with weapons-usable nuclear materials and nuclear facilities.

“The bottom line is that the countries and areas with the greatest responsibility for protecting the world from a catastrophic act of nuclear terrorism are derelict in their duty,” the 2023 NTI Index noted. “This is a particularly disheartening development with geopolitical and economic instability, violent non-state actors, environmental disasters and cyber attacks all on the rise.”

The NTI Nuclear Security Index is internationally recognized as the premier resource and tool for tracking progress on global nuclear and radiological security across 175 countries and Taiwan.

According to the Index, civil stockpiles of separated plutonium are growing rapidly, with the biggest increases coming from commercial reprocessing; many governments are not demonstrating the capacity to meet today’s nuclear security challenges; countries and areas with weapons-usable nuclear materials and nuclear facilities made no progress in the areas of security culture and insider threat prevention.

The 2023 NTI Index also acknowledged global norms against civilian use of highly enriched uranium are solidifying as inventories gradually decline. Progress is possible over time, officials said.

The NTI noted amid the present challenges, countries have made significant improvements since the first NTI Index released in 2012 tracked and reported on nuclear security conditions worldwide.