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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
Experts Urge Extension of G-8 Nonproliferation Program
Source: 
Global Security Newswire
Date Released: 
June 29, 2010

"Several experts last week said the Group of Eight nations made a potentially dangerous mistake at their latest summit by not extending a program intended to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction...

"That move was not good enough, observers said in a statement issued by the Fissile Materials Working Group, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations focused on nonproliferation.

Nuke security group upset by G-8 inaction
Byline: 
Frank Munger
Source: 
Knox News
Date Released: 
June 29, 2010

The Fissile Materials Working Group expressed disappointment that G-8 leaders didn't renew a Global Partnership effort to lock down weapons of mass destruction around the world...

Time to act responsibly on nukes
Byline: 
Zia Mian and Daryl G. Kimball
Source: 
The Press
Date Released: 
June 21, 2010

"Global efforts to prevent the spread of the world's most deadly weapons depend on universal compliance with rules that constrain the sale of nuclear technology..."

Don’t gamble with America’s future
Byline: 
Alexandra Toma and Kenneth Luongo
Source: 
The Hill
Date Released: 
June 1, 2010

"If the car bomb in Times Square contained just one of the tens of thousands of radioactive sources that exist in the U.S. and it had successfully detonated, this American landmark would be uninhabitable for months or years to come. And, if the attack were with an improvised nuclear device instead, a large portion of Manhattan would have been destroyed. We were lucky in many ways that day, but these are real threats posed by ever-bolder terrorists, and our luck might not last forever.

Nuclear Attack a Ticking Time Bomb, Experts Warn
Byline: 
Daniel Farber
Source: 
CBS News
Date Released: 
May 3, 2010

..."Even a 1 percent chance over the next 10 years is a huge risk," said Matthew Bunn, an associate professor at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and an expert on nuclear proliferation and terrorism. "No one in their right mind would put a nuclear power plant upwind of a major city that had a 1 percent chance over 10 years of blowing up."

A Global Commitment to Nuclear Education and Training
Byline: 
William C. Potter
Source: 
Foreign Policy Magazine
Date Released: 
April 23, 2010

"During his luncheon remarks at U.S. President Barack Obama's Nuclear Security Summit last week, Yukiya Amano, the new head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is said to have emphasized the important educational dimension of his agency's work. This emphasis might be expected given his past service as Japan's leading Foreign Ministry expert on disarmament and nonproliferation education..."

Focus shifts to nuclear 'rogues'
Byline: 
Simon Mann
Source: 
The Age
Date Released: 
April 15, 2010

 ''President [Obama] has put his personal prestige on the line like no other world leader has before,'' said Kenneth Luongo, the chairman of the Fissile Materials Working Group, a coalition of 40 non-government agencies urging the securing of nuclear material and campaigning in tandem with the two-day summit. ''Taken together, the individual commitments of participating nations themselves will materially advance the nuclear security agenda,'' he said.

This is What Progress Looks Like
Byline: 
Erica Mandell
Source: 
Democracy Arsenal
Date Released: 
April 15, 2010

This week, as Obama convened the international Nuclear Security Summit, the Fissile Materials Working Group (FMWG) held their Next Generation Nuclear Security parallel summit. The FMWG summit brought together industry experts, former ambassadors, and representatives from NGO’s worldwide working to combat the threat of nuclear terrorism. This summit offered a variety of constructive recommendations but two take-away points come to mind. First, if you are not improving your nuclear security, it is declining.

After the Nuclear Summit, What Happens Now?
Byline: 
"To the Point"
Source: 
KCRW
Date Released: 
April 14, 2010
 Nobody knows how likely it is that some terrorist group could set off a nuclear weapon.  But the consequences are so catastrophic that even a small chance justifies urgent action to reduce the risk. Guests include Fissile Materials Working Group Members Matthew Bunn and Benn Tannenbaum.
Leaders Pledge to Secure Nuclear Fuel
Byline: 
Jonathan Weisman
Source: 
Wall Street Journal
Date Released: 
April 14, 2010

Ken Luongo, a former Energy Department official and now president of the Partnership for Global Security, said the summit identified what needed to be done without holding anyone responsible for doing it.

"It's pretty thin soup," said Ivan Oelrich, vice president of the Federation of American Scientists and a member of the Fissile Materials Working Group, a nongovernmental group promoting nuclear security...