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Next Generation Nuclear Security Summit - April 12-13, 2010
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fissile materials working group

The Fissile Materials Working Group (FMWG), a nongovernmental coalition of over 40 U.S. experts representing many of the top nonproliferation and nuclear security organizations in the country and also includes several international partner organizations.  Members of the FMWG collaborate in a series of meetings designed to create consensus behind top fissile materials priorities, develop actionable policy proposals, and package recommendations for implementation by U.S. and foreign government officials.

The FMWG has been a forceful presence in support of improved fissile material security and the prevention of nuclear terrorism.  Important milestones for the FMWG include the publication of its consensus recommendations to the Obama Administration for improving nuclear material security (September 2009); the convening of a summit of international experts and supporting events in support of the official Nuclear Security Summit (April 2010); and a series of regional meetings to explore international perspectives on nuclear security (October 2010 - April 2011).  These activities highlight the urgency of this agenda and engage a broad array of international stakeholders.  Please click here for a summary of the FMWG's acitivites to date.  To view the FMWG's condensed work plan, please click here.

Media Contact:
Sean Harder
sharder@stanleyfoundation.org
319-455-6397


The Steering Committee is comprised of the following professionals:

  • Kenneth N. Luongo, President, Partnership for Global Security (co-chair)
  • Alexandra Toma, Executive Director, Connect U.S. Fund (co-chair)
  • Matthew Bunn, Associate Professor of Public Policy; Co-Principal Investigator, Project on Managing the Atom; Co-Principal Investigator, Energy Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment (ERD3) Policy Project, Harvard University
  • Togzhan Kassenova, Associate, Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
  • Miles Pomper, Senior Research Associate, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
  • Jennifer Smyser, Program Officer, Policy and Outreach, The Stanley Foundation
  • Sharon Squassoni, Director and Senior Fellow, Proliferation Prevention Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies
  • Benn Tannenbaum, Non-Resident Fellow, Center for Science, Technology, and Security Policy, American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • Paul Walker, Director, Security & Sustainability, Global Green USA
     

Key Staff:

Ryan Costello
FMWG Coordinator
202-721-5600 x. 5724
 

Michelle Marchesano
mmarchesano@partnershipforglobalsecurity.org
202-332-1412

Press Clips
Nuclear Terrorism: A Funding Cut that Endangers America
Sep7
Posted by Ryan Costello
Byline: 
Lt. Gen. (Ret) Robert G. Gard
Source: 
The Baltimore Sun
Date Released: 
September 6, 2011

Congress' failure to accord top priority to programs to keep fissile materials out of the hands of terrorists is highly irresponsible. We must secure loose weapons-grade nuclear material around the world and shut down or convert nuclear reactors using highly enriched uranium as soon as possible. With the Senate returned from recess, it will have an opportunity to demonstrate a greater sense of urgency and less complacency by restoring the reckless cuts in these programs made by the House budget. It makes no sense to agree on the problem but then to debilitate the solution.

Time to Think Safety-Security
Aug9
Posted by Ryan Costello
Byline: 
Igor Khripunov and Duyeon Kim
Source: 
The Korea Times
Date Released: 
August 8, 2011

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster gave terrorists and other malefactors a tip. By targeting nuclear plants, they can wreak havoc comparable to that wrought by an earthquake and tsunami, crippling a great economic and military power.  A terrorist version of Fukushima is plausible ― with all the human suffering, economic dislocation and national humiliation the March 2011 cataclysm entailed. Both safety and security must be enhanced at nuclear installations around the world.

 

Chinese Nuclear Security Practice
Aug4
Posted by Ryan Costello
Byline: 
Li Hong
Source: 
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Date Released: 
August 3, 2011

From Budget Cuts to Dirty Bombs
Jul28
Posted by Ryan Costello
Byline: 
Ken Luongo & Ken Brill
Source: 
The New York Times
Date Released: 
July 27, 2011

THE House of Representatives has decided that countering the threat of nuclear terrorism no longer deserves America’s best efforts. Last week, it passed an energy and water budget bill that slashes the country’s defenses against nuclear terrorism — a threat both parties have long recognized as one of the most serious facing America. The Senate has the opportunity to reverse that mistake. If it does not, over a decade of nuclear security gains could evaporate.

Fortenberry-Sanchez Amendment a Win for Nuclear Security
Jul14
Posted by Ryan Costello
Byline: 
Kingston Reif
Source: 
Nukes of Hazard - Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
Date Released: 
July 13, 2011

G-8 Nonproliferation Effort Renewed
Jun2
Posted by Ryan Costello
Byline: 
Martin Matishak
Source: 
Global Security Newswire (NTI)
Date Released: 
May 31, 2011

The leaders of the world's top industrial powers on Friday renewed the mandate of a program intended to prevent terrorists or rogue nations from acquiring weapons of mass destruction (see GSN, March 9.). The Group of Eight nations' Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction will be maintained beyond its original 2012 expiration date thanks in part to the effort's "concrete achievements and measurable results..."

Preventing the Next Fukushima
Jun3
Posted by Ryan Costello
Byline: 
Matthew Bunn & Olli Heinonen
Source: 
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Date Released: 
May 26, 2011

[T]he world needs to take steps to protect nuclear facilities and materials from terrorist action, not just accidents. At many nuclear facilities, the security measures in place today are far weaker than the safety measures.  But there is clear evidence that terrorists have considered sabotage of nuclear facilities, and have attempted to get stolen nuclear material and to recruit the expertise needed to turn it into a crude nuclear bomb, capable of incinerating the heart of a major city.

After bin Laden: Nuclear terrorism still a top threat
May17
Posted by Michelle Marchesano
Byline: 
Sarah Williams
Source: 
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Date Released: 
May 13, 2011

"Osama bin Laden's death may represent a significant turning point in the US effort to defeat Al Qaeda, but the threat of nuclear terrorism will not lessen in the wake of his demise. Such threats, however, are preventable, and the United States must now take care to sustain the nonproliferation and threat reduction programs that will help stop terrorists from obtaining nuclear materials..."

Using the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit to Denuclearize the DPRK: A Dialogue on Radiological Source Security
May17
Posted by Michelle Marchesano
Byline: 
Kenneth Luongo
Source: 
38 North
Date Released: 
May 12, 2011

"On April 12-13, 2010 the United States convened the first Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in Washington, DC, including 47 nations and three international organizations. The purpose was to strengthen efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism by improving the security of all nuclear materials around the globe. At the end of this event, it was announced that the Republic of Korea (ROK) would host the next NSS in 2012..."

World needs new nuclear governance
May17
Posted by Michelle Marchesano
Byline: 
Igor Khripunov and William Keller
Source: 
The Korea Times
Date Released: 
May 9, 2011

"Despite the seriousness of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, it is unlikely that events there will significantly curtail the global appetite for nuclear energy.."