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nuclear-security-news-and-member-updates-roundup,-january-2025

Nuclear Security News and Member Updates Roundup, January 2025

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Dear Friend,

The past month brought a range of developments in nuclear security around the world, from the launch by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of a new Regulatory Infrastructure Development Project for Asia and the Pacific to strengthen radiation safety and nuclear security in the region to the guilty plea entered by the Japanese crime boss at his trial for trafficking nuclear material sourced from Myanmar. In other news, drones flying over nuclear power plants in Minnesota and Louisiana are worrying local leaders and law enforcement officials and IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will visit Kyiv on Feb. 4 to hold high-level meetings on preventing nuclear accidents during wartime. While the former head of the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration launched a study of the proliferation risks of the High Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel that advanced nuclear reactors under development will use, it is unclear how that study will play out under the new administration. The Trump administration has indicated a significant interest in emerging technology, however, and a partnership has already been announced between the U.S. National Laboratories and OpenAI for scientific research and nuclear weapons security, including “securing nuclear materials and weapons worldwide.”  Finally, a number of opportunities are open for early and mid-career specialists, including the IAEA’s Lise Meitner Program – see the Opportunities section at the bottom of this newsletter.

Wishing all our members a productive month to come.

Warmly,

Christina

Director, International Nuclear Security Forum

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Updates

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Nuclear Security News

Impact: The Russian Invasion of Ukraine

  • Update 268 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine (January 2): “The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is assessing observations and information collected from its recent missions to Ukraine’s electrical substations, conducted in the aftermath of attacks on the nation’s energy infrastructure, as part of the Agency’s ongoing commitment to monitoring nuclear safety and security, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said [on January 2]. Recent assaults on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, including a major attack on December 25 that caused some reactor units at the country’s three operational plants to once again reduce their operating power for several hours, have reduced the stability of Ukraine’s electrical grid. All affected reactor units subsequently returned to nominal full power. During its eight-day mission from 16 – December 23, IAEA experts gathered technical information about seven electrical substations critical to the safe operation of Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyy, Rivne, and South Ukraine nuclear power plants (NPPs). A reliable and stable grid connection is essential to transfer the electricity generated by the operating NPPs and to receive off-site power, which is required for maintaining nuclear safety. The Zaporizhzhya NPP (ZNPP) and the Chornobyl site also depend on reliable and stable off-site power to maintain nuclear safety.”
  • Update 269 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine (January 5): “[IAEA] staff reported hearing loud blasts near Ukraine’s [ZNPP on January 5], coinciding with reports of a drone attack on the plant’s training center, marking yet another threat to nuclear safety at Europe’s largest NPP, according to Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. The IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) team stationed at ZNPP reported hearing two loud explosions coming from outside the perimeter of the site at approximately 12:45 and 15:45. For now, the IAEA has not yet been able to confirm any impact. The IAEA team also reported hearing machine gun fire coming from the site on multiple occasions. The IAEA is aware of reports of an alleged attack by a drone at the ZNPP training center today, just outside of the site’s perimeter. Reports state that there were no casualties and no impact on any NPP equipment.”
  • Update 270 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine (January 17): “Ukraine’s Rivne [NPP] had to temporarily reduce its power output [on January 15], amid heightened military activity near all of Ukraine’s [NPP] sites in recent days, [IAEA] Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said [on January 17]. As part of their ongoing efforts to assess and report on nuclear safety and security, IAEA staff stationed at Ukraine’s operating [NPPs]—Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine NPPs—as well as the [ZNPP] and the Chornobyl site—have reported significant military activity in recent days[…] Despite the challenges from nearby ongoing military activity, the IAEA team has continued to conduct regular walkdowns across the ZNPP site over the past week. They visited the main control room of each unit and made note of staffing levels, checked fuel levels in the EDGs at unit 6, and witnessed the change of the spent fuel pool cooling pump from one safety train to another in unit 6. Furthermore, the team visited the cooling pond area, including in the vicinity of both cooling towers – one of which sustained damage in August 2024 – an area where the team was previously denied access. ISAMZ also performed a walkdown of the turbine hall of unit 2 and was once again denied access to the western part of the hall. The team also visited the temporary on-site emergency crisis centre, where they discussed the draft emergency preparedness and response plan, as well as the planned emergency response exercise to be held in 2025.”
  • Update 271 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine (January 23): “The [IAEA] team based at Ukraine’s [ZNPP] has heard frequent explosions from outside the site over the [week of January 20], further underlining persistent dangers to nuclear safety and security during the military conflict, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said [on January 23]. The team reported hearing multiple instances of such military activity in recent days, at varying distances from the ZNPP. There was no damage reported to the plant itself. Although the sound of nearby military action has been a common occurrence ever since the IAEA established a continued presence at the ZNPP in September 2022, it has happened virtually daily in recent weeks. ‘For almost three years now, we have been doing everything we can to help prevent a nuclear accident at [ZNPP] and elsewhere in Ukraine. An accident has not occurred, but the situation is not improving. It is still precarious. I remain seriously concerned about nuclear safety and security in Ukraine, including at the Zaporizhzhya site. Our work is far from over,’ Director General Grossi said […] Elsewhere in Ukraine, air raid alarms were heard on several occasions at Ukraine’s three operating [NPPs] – Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine – as well as at the Chornobyl site. At the Khmelnytskyy NPP, the IAEA team members have taken shelter at their residence three times in recent days due to such alerts […] Separately, the Agency continued with deliveries under its comprehensive program of nuclear safety and security assistance to Ukraine. [The week of January 13], the Chornobyl site received equipment to enhance its nuclear security system. The delivery, the 104th organized by the IAEA since the start of the armed conflict, was supported with funds from the United Kingdom.”
  • IAEA Chief to Visit Kyiv Next Week (January 31): “Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the [IAEA], will visit Kyiv on Feb. 4 to hold high-level meetings on preventing nuclear accidents during wartime. The IAEA serves as the nuclear safety watchdog for the United Nations. The agency has had a rotating mission at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant since September 2022. The visit marks Grossi’s 11th mission to Ukraine since the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the IAEA said in a statement on Jan. 30. ‘As long as this horrific war continues, the IAEA will remain present and stay active, focused on doing everything we can to support nuclear safety and security in extremely challenging circumstances,’ Grossi said.”

International Architecture

  • IAEA Launches New Project to Strengthen Radiation Safety and Nuclear Security in Asia and the Pacific: “The IAEA has launched a new Regulatory Infrastructure Development Project for Asia and the Pacific as part of its efforts to strengthen radiation safety and nuclear security in the region. Building on the success of ongoing Regulatory Infrastructure Development Projects (RIDPs) in Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America, the new RIDP for Asia and the Pacific kicked off in December 2024 with a week-long meeting in Vienna attended by 32 participants from 17 countries, including the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste, which are not IAEA Member States. Their discussions resulted in a draft workplan which will inform the project’s implementation and ensure effective and tailored support to participating countries. ‘This project marks a significant milestone in our joint efforts to support the development of robust and sustainable radiation safety and nuclear security infrastructure in the region,’ said Lydie Evrard, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security. ‘The valuable experience from RIDP projects implemented in this field will help strengthen the project’s objectives among stakeholders, including senior national policymakers.’ The main stakeholders and beneficiaries in the countries participating in this multidisciplinary project are national officials with regulatory responsibilities for radiation safety and the security of radioactive material. The attendees had the opportunity to actively engage with IAEA experts, donors and partners supporting this new RIDP.”
  • New Collaborating Centre for Nuclear Security in Tajikistan: “Tajikistan’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Safety and Security Agency has been designated as a new IAEA Collaborating Centre for nuclear security. ‘The designation of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Safety and Security Agency (CBRN SSA) as an IAEA Collaborating Centre will strengthen the cooperation between Tajikistan and the IAEA to efficiently support regional activities in key areas of nuclear security,’ said Lydie Evrard, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, at the signing ceremony in Vienna. ‘That will contribute to enhance nuclear security in Central Asia and internationally,’ she added. The four-year agreement from 2025 to 2029 aims to help countries in the region build capacity in the development and maintenance of their nuclear security regimes, including the assessment of nuclear security needs and priorities, computer security, the security of nuclear materials and facilities, and nuclear or other radioactive material out of regulatory control. The agreed workplan includes hosting regional and international training courses and workshops on various nuclear security topics at the new Collaborating Centre. Additionally, the Centre will develop training materials on detection techniques for illicit trafficking of nuclear and other radioactive material.”

Weapons, Materials, and Facilities

  • Troubled Sellafield Spends £2.6m Renewing its Darktrace Licences: “Sellafield Ltd., the company cleaning up the UK’s largest nuclear waste site, has spent £2.6 million renewing its Darktrace cybersecurity licenses. The contract renewal comes 12 weeks after Sellafield Ltd. was fined £332,500 for cybersecurity shortfalls during a four-year period – following a prosecution brought by watchdog the Office for Nuclear Regulation. The ONR found that between 2019-2023 Sellafield Ltd ‘failed to meet the standards, procedures and arrangements, set out in its own approved plan for cybersecurity and for protecting sensitive nuclear information.’ It was not immediately clear when Sellafield Ltd. first contracted Darktrace. A public notice did not specify the number of licenses. Sellafield Ltd. employs some 12,000 staff. The renewed contract includes two years of ‘maintenance and support’, and 10 days of professional services yearly, a short contract notice posted on January 7 showed. Long-term technology and security services provider Atos’s Eviden also continues to work with Sellafield. It rejected the suggestion that the prosecution reflected badly on its performance, with a spokesperson saying that ‘it is a matter of public record that Atos supported Sellafield to identify security issues.’”
  • NNSA Issues Notice of Intent to Prepare for Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Stockpile Stewardship Program: “The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) published a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register Jan. 13to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Plutonium Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to meet vital stockpile stewardship requirements.  The SEIS will meet NNSA’s obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and is tiered from the 2023 LLNL Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS). The proposed action will evaluate the environmental impacts of upgrading the lab’s Plutonium Facility from Security Category III to Security Category II, along with other reasonable alternatives that may be identified during the public process. The Plutonium Facility was originally built and operated as a Security Category I facility and is the only immediately available facility with the capacity and capability to conduct Security Category II work. Following the publication of the NOI in the Federal Register, NNSA will host a virtual public scoping meeting to invite other federal agencies, Native American Tribes, state and local governments, and members of the public to provide scoping comments, which may include reasonable alternatives, key issues, and important environmental resource areas that should be analyzed in the SEIS.
  • More Plutonium Coming to Livermore for Increased Nuclear Weapons Activities; Government Quietly Announces Dangerous New Plan in the Federal Register: “The National Nuclear Security Administration, a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), announced its proposal [on January 13] for ‘Enhanced Plutonium Facility Utilization’ at its Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, located in the densely populated Bay Area. The proposed plan would significantly increase the allowable quantities of nuclear weapons-grade plutonium stored at the Livermore Lab. It would likewise raise the allowable quantities to be trucked in and out of the Lab, using roads and freeways such as the nearby I-580. Further, according to the Federal Register Notice, this sudden change would enable the Lab to conduct riskier operations with plutonium above what is currently authorized. The new plan could also allow increases of other nuclear materials in addition to plutonium […] ‘Livermore Lab has already proven that it cannot keep weapons-usable quantities of plutonium safe,’ asserted Tri-Valley CAREs’ Senior Advisor, Marylia Kelley. In 2008, Livermore Lab underwent a scheduled force-on-force security drill to test the security of the nuclear weapons usable amounts of plutonium it had at the Plutonium Facility inside the Lab’s so-called ‘Superblock,’ the most heavily-guarded quadrant on its 1-square mile Livermore Site on East Avenue. The drill was conducted by the DOE Office of Health, Safety, and Security as part of a seven-week audit of the Lab. The mock attack was not a surprise to the Lab, although a real attack would not be scheduled. Still, the mock terrorists were able to gain entry into the Superblock, obtain the nuclear material they sought and hold their ground long enough to detonate a simulated nuclear ‘dirty bomb.’ Additionally, a DOE team removed some of the plutonium material, demonstrating that in a real terrorism event, it could have been transported and detonated elsewhere. ‘This is how Livermore Lab lost its Category II security. The removal of Livermore Lab’s large stock of plutonium was completed in 2012. To this day, Livermore Lab holds only a lower Category III Security, which restricts the Lab to smaller quantities of nuclear material on site,’ noted Kelley.”
  • UK to Dispose of Radioactive Plutonium Stockpile: “The government says it will dispose of its 140 tonnes of radioactive plutonium – currently stored at a secure facility at Sellafield in Cumbria. The UK has the world’s largest stockpile of the hazardous material, which is a product of nuclear fuel reprocessing. It has been kept at the site and has been piling up for decades in a form that would allow it to be recycled into new nuclear fuel. But the government has now decided that it will not be reused and instead says it wants to put the hazardous material ‘beyond reach’ and made ready for permanent disposal deep underground.”

Threats

  • Yakuza Leader Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Sell Nuclear Material: “A member of the Japanese yakuza criminal underworld pleaded guilty to [trafficking] nuclear material sourced from Myanmar and seeking to sell it to fund an illicit arms deal, US authorities said Wednesday, January 8. Yakuza leader Takeshi Ebisawa and co-defendant Somphop Singhasiri had previously been charged in April 2022 with drug trafficking and firearms offenses, and both were remanded. He was then additionally charged in February 2024 with conspiring to sell weapons-grade nuclear material and lethal narcotics from Myanmar, and to purchase military weaponry on behalf of an armed insurgent group, prosecutors said. The military weaponry to be part of the arms deal included surface-to-air missiles, the indictment alleged. ‘As he admitted in federal court today, Takeshi Ebisawa brazenly trafficked nuclear material, including weapons-grade plutonium, out of Burma,’ said Acting US attorney Edward Kim, using another name for Myanmar. ‘At the same time, he worked to send massive quantities of heroin and methamphetamine to the United States in exchange for heavy-duty weaponry such as surface-to-air missiles to be used on battlefields in Burma’ […] One of Ebisawa’s co-conspirators claimed they ‘had available more than 2,000 kilograms (4,400 pounds) of Thorium-232 and more than 100 kilograms of uranium in the compound U3O8’.”
  • Drones Spotted Flying Over Nuclear Plant in Minnesota: “Red Wing police officers say four to five drones were spotted flying around a nuclear plant on [January 8].  According to a press release from the Red Wing Police Department, officers with the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint from the Prairie Island Nuclear Plant on the 1700 block of Wakonade Drive that four to five drones had been spotted flying around. Officers from the Red Wing Police Department and the Prairie Island Tribal Police Department responded to the area and said they observed two drones flying around the Nuclear Plant and Lock and Dam #3.”
  • Governor Says Drones Spotted Over Louisiana Nuclear Power Plant: “Drones have been spotted flying over a nuclear power plant in Louisiana, but their origin remains a mystery to state and local authorities. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry brought up concerns about the drones while sitting next to President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., during a dinner that included other Republican governors [on January 9]. ‘While we were dealing with a terrorist attack in New Orleans, we had drones being flown over our nuclear reactors in Louisiana,’ Landry said after a reporter asked about mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey. ‘We’ve been asking the FAA to give these states the ability to mitigate these drones.’ The drones were seen flying over or near Entergy’s River Bend nuclear power plant in West Feliciana Parish. ‘Of course we’re concerned,’ West Feliciana Parish President Kenny Havard said [on January 10] in an interview with USA Today Network. ‘There have definitely been confirmed drones flying over the nuclear power plant on several occasions.’ Havard said he and Sheriff Brian Spillman have been in direct contact with federal and state authorities about the drones, which he believes to be as big as 5 feet in diameter.”

Emerging Technologies

  • US to Study Proliferation Risk of HALEU Nuclear Fuel, After Warning by Scientists: “The U.S. agency in charge of nuclear security is commissioning a study on the proliferation risks of a more-enriched uranium fuel that nuclear power developers want to fuel new high-tech reactors, the head of the agency said [the week of January 6]. Jill Hruby, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, said in a statement published in the journal Science that it is important to address proliferation concerns of so-called high assay, low-enriched uranium fuel, or HALEU. ‘NNSA recognizes that reactor type, fuel enrichment level, fuel quantity, and fuel form are important factors in evaluating proliferation risks and believes that risk-informed and adaptive approaches to the proliferation challenges inherent in nuclear energy are warranted,’ Hruby said. Planned new nuclear plants, known as small modular reactors, or advanced reactors, must set high standards for safety and security, ‘especially considering Russia’s takeover of Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant,’ she said.”
  • UK Police Not Equipped to Protect SMRs, Analysts Say: “Policing strategy in the UK has not caught up with the pace of development of small modular reactors (SMRs), leaving them vulnerable to emerging threats, according to expert analysis published by the Alan Turing Institute.”
  • OpenAI Partners with U.S. National Laboratories on Scientific Research, Nuclear Weapons Security: “OpenAI said [on January 30] that the U.S. National Laboratories will be using its latest artificial intelligence models for scientific research and nuclear weapons security. Under the agreement, up to 15,000 scientists working at the National Laboratories may be able to access OpenAI’s reasoning-focused o1 series. OpenAI will also work with Microsoft, its lead investor, to deploy one of its models on Venado, the supercomputer at Los Alamos National Laboratory, according to a release. Venado is powered by technology from Nvidia and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced the partnership at a company event called ‘Building to Win: AI Economics,’ in Washington, D.C. According to OpenAI, the new partnership will involve scientists using OpenAI’s technology to enhance cybersecurity to protect the U.S. power grid, identify new approaches to treating and preventing diseases and deepen understanding of fundamental mathematics and physics. It will also involve work on nuclear weapons, “focused on reducing the risk of nuclear war and securing nuclear materials and weapons worldwide,” the company wrote. Some OpenAI researchers with security clearances will consult on the project.”

Member Organization Announcements and Updates

Bellona Foundation

  • At the end of 2024, The Moscow Times published an op-ed written by Dmitry Gorchakov named “This German Town Could Decide the Future of EU Reliance on Russian Nuclear Fuel” about the difficult process of replacing nuclear fuel suppliers (from Russian ones) for VVER reactors in Europe and how the EU can secure this process. It also highlighted the important role of the fuel plant in Lingen, Germany, where the French company Framatome plans to start joint production of nuclear fuel for European VVER reactors in cooperation with Rosatom. Read the op-ed.
  • Dmitry Gorchakov also published an article on Bellona’s website with an analysis of the import of nuclear materials from Russia to EU in 2024. According to the Eurostat data, purchases of enriched uranium and nuclear fuel from Russia in 2024 decreased. Read the article.
  • On January 23, Bellona hosted an online presentation of their report on the IAEA’s role in the war in Ukraine. a recording of this presentation with the speech of the author of the report, Bellona Nuclear Advisor Alexander Nikitin, and with answers to questions in English is now available. Watch the presentation.

International Institute for Strategic Studies

  • In the newest episode of the Arms Control Poseur, podcast host Fabian Hinz is joined by David Albright, founder and President of the Institute for Science and International Security to discuss Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Listen to the podcast.
  • IISS has published a new Strategic Comment arguing the Israel Defense Forces have seriously undermined Iran’s regional military capabilities, both by attacking the leaders of Hamas and Hizbullah and by launching airstrikes against Iran that damaged its ability to produce missiles, titled “Iran’s Weakened Position and the Status of its Nuclear Option.” Read the commentary.

Nuclear Threat Initiative

  • To address the risks and capitalize on the opportunities associated with AI and emerging technologies, NTI is launching FutureSafe: AI and Emerging Technology, a new program to be led by Dimitri Kusnezov, PhD, a scientist and national security leader. Kusnezov recently served as Under Secretary for the Science and Technology Directorate at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and his experience includes numerous scientific and national security positions across government and academia. Find out more about the program.

Nuclear Transport Solutions

  • In the final weeks of 2024, NTS security personnel supported our colleagues at King’s College London and other partners with engagements in both Thailand and India. In Thailand, NTS supported an SMR technology selection workshop for the South-East Asia region, presenting on security, fuel cycle and waste management considerations for future nuclear deployments. In India, NTS supported other industry, academia and government partners in a bilateral exchange on nuclear security for future reactor technologies.

Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation

  • On December 2, 2024, VCDNP Executive Director Elena K. Sokova welcomed Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and Charles Oppenheimer, founder of the Oppenheimer Project and grandson of J. Robert Oppenheimer, to a public conversation on the interconnected promise and peril of nuclear energy. Watch the conversation.
  • On December 12, 2024, the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) welcomed Ban Ki-moon, eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Dr. Heinz Fischer, eleventh President of Austria, to a high-level event at the Vienna City Hall. The speakers delivered a resonant call for nuclear-armed states to prevent nuclear escalation and make tangible progress towards a world free from the threat of nuclear weapons. Find out more about the event.
  • VCDNP and the research consortium VeSPoTec (Verification in a Complex and Unpredictable World: Social, Political and Technical Processes) held a workshop with senior experts on irreversibility in nuclear disarmament. Following that workshop, VCDNP Senior Research Associate Noah Mayhew co-authored an article for the Journal for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament with Dr. Leonardo Bandarra (University of Duisburg-Essen) and Dr. Malte Göttsche (Peace Research Institute Frankfurt), published in December of 2024. Read the article.
  • On December 5, 2024, the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) hosted experts from the Open Nuclear Network (ONN) and the Verification Research, Training and Information Centre (VERTIC) for a seminar titled “Strengthening Monitoring and Verification in Support of the Nuclear Test Ban.” Experts convened to address the evolving threats to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), explore advanced monitoring technologies, and highlight strategies to reinforce the global nuclear no-test norm. Find out about the event.
  • VCDNP Senior Fellow Angela Kane appeared on the podcast of the German Federation of Scientists, exploring contemporary global security challenges facing the United Nations, and the organisation’s ability to respond effectively. Drawing on her extensive experience as a long-time UN official and former UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Angela Kane joined Dr. Maria Reinisch, Director of the German Federation of Scientists, and junior researcher Jan Koy to explore the UN’s role in addressing issues ranging from digital threats and autonomous weapons controls to nuclear disarmament in a rapidly changing world. Listen to the podcast.
  • On January 16, 2025, the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) convened a panel discussion on “The Impact of Emerging Technologies on the Nuclear Supply Chain.” The event followed a two-day workshop on the same subject. The discussion was sponsored by Global Affairs Canada. Watch the panel.
  • In this Governing the Atom brief, Dr. Sarah Case Lackner, Ingrid Kirsten, and Benedict Höfter provide a succinct overview of the regulatory mechanisms for nuclear safety, security, safeguards, and export controls that facilitate peaceful uses of nuclear technology while protecting people and the environment and contributing to global security. Read the brief.
  • On December 4, 2024, Federica Dall’Arche, Senior Research Associate at the VCDNP, and Paola Tessari, Senior Research Fellow at the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), joined professor Erzsébet N. Rózsa and the faculty of the Ludovika University of Public Service at a public event aimed at engaging students and young scholars to raise awareness of arms control, non-proliferation, and disarmament issues. The event was organised in cooperation with the HUN-REN CERS Institute of World Economics in Budapest. Find out about the event.
  • This two-page guide from VCDNP provides an insightful and concise overview of the transformative potential of nuclear applications and practical pathways for impactful financing. Explore how nuclear science and technology accelerate progress towards global development and climate goals. Read the guide.

Individual Member Updates

  • Ali Alkis co-authored a paper, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk: The First Gender Champion, as part of a special issue in the International Journal of Nuclear Security. The article explores how Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Türkiye, transformed the Ottoman Empire into a secular nation-state. It highlights his forward-thinking approach to secularization and nation-building, positioning him as a true “gender champion” well ahead of today’s global discourse. Read the article.
  • As Donald Trump prepares for a second term as President, the world faces increasing nuclear danger as China increases its arsenal and Russia makes almost daily threats.  In a new article on the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation’s Nukes of Hazard blog, INSF Advisory Board member John Erath identifies three practical steps that were elements of U.S. nuclear policy during the first Trump administration that could dramatically lower nuclear tensions if highlighted by the incoming President. Read the article.
  • Dr. Bahram Ghiassee was quoted in the Sunday Express on January 14 in an article entitled “Israel warns Iran is on verge of nuclear bomb”. Read the news article.
  • Hanan L. Ross attended Intersec 2025 in Dubai, UAE where she explored cutting-edge innovations and strategies essential for protecting critical infrastructure, including nuclear facilities. At the event, she focused on advanced threat detection and global best practices, gaining valuable insights to enhance nuclear security frameworks. Find out about Intersec 2025.
  • Hanan L. Ross authored the article “Technology: The Foundation of Modern Security Leadership,” highlighting the pivotal role of innovation in redefining security strategies and addressing evolving risks. Read the article.

    Opportunities

    • The latest application of the IAEA’s Lise Meitner Program is now officially open, offering career development and networking opportunities for women professionals in the nuclear field. The IAEA Lise Meitner Programme (LMP), named after the Austrian-Swedish physicist instrumental in the discovery of nuclear fission, aims to boost technical skills of early and midcareer women professionals in the nuclear sector through visiting programmes hosted by IAEA member countries. The program is additionally tailored to strengthen participants’ soft skills, particularly in leadership and managerial abilities. Interested early and mid-career women professionals from IAEA member countries with a nuclear-related background relevant to the three focus areas of the current LMP editions are encouraged to apply by February 7, 2025. To be eligible for the LMP, applicants from an IAEA member country must either be currently employed with 3-10 years of relevant work experience in the nuclear field or in the final year of their PhD studies in the nuclear field with relevant prior working experience. Read more.
    • The Stimson Center’s Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program strengthens U.S. foreign policy by testing assumptions, reassessing conventional wisdom, and exploring innovative approaches to international engagement. As part of its mission, the Strategy Program seeks to draw new and innovative talent into the policy space, supporting the next generation of national security professionals as they embark upon their careers. Its Foreign Policy Futures program offers mentorship, research development, and networking opportunities to students and early career professionals, all with the support of the Strategy Program team. This program is an ideal fit for emerging professionals seeking a structured yet flexible pathway to accelerate their careers in foreign policy. Read more.
    • The Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship Program invites recent college and graduate school alumni to apply for full-time, six-to-nine-month fellowships in Washington, DC. Outstanding individuals will be selected to work with nonprofit, public-interest organizations addressing peace and security issues. Applications are especially encouraged from candidates with a strong interest in these issues who have prior experience with public-interest activism or advocacy. Scoville Fellows will choose to work with one of the twenty-five organizations participating in the program. With the assistance of alumni, board, and staff, fellows will select a placement which best matches their interests and the needs of the host organization. Participating organizations provide office space and support, supervision and guidance for fellows’ work. With the exception of Congressional lobbying, fellows may undertake a variety of activities, including research, writing, and organizing that support the goals of their host organization. Read more.
    • GDIT and the U.S. Department of State are seeking a Program Advisor to oversee international capacity-building trainings aimed at addressing pressing nuclear security, proliferation, safety, and sovereignty challenges posed by aggressive civil nuclear reactor exports. This FIRST Program Advisor will serve as an on-site/hybrid contractor at the Department of State and assist CTR in developing, managing, and coordinating FIRST and civil nuclear security capacity-building efforts. The Program Advisor will be responsible for providing programmatic, financial, and technical oversight to assigned projects and activities while actively contributing to strategically advancing the FIRST team’s objectives and programming. Read more.
    • The David Rockefeller Studies Program at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is seeking to hire a Stanton Nuclear Security Senior Fellow. The fellow will be expected to conduct original research on nuclear security policy, which includes nuclear terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and nuclear weapons, and as it relates to nuclear security, nuclear energy. This is an extraordinary opportunity for an individual looking to shape new thinking and creative policy solutions on the spread of nuclear weapons to unstable and hostile states, the collapse of arms control and risk of conflict between nuclear-armed nations, the importance of nuclear weapons in great power competition, and the impact of new technologies such as AI and quantum on the nuclear balance. Read more.
    • The Partnership for Global Security (PGS) is seeking applicants for their Research Internship. The intern will primarily focus on researching nuclear security, nuclear energy, and transnational governance issues. Current research projects that interns will support include: exploring the nexus of climate change, nuclear power growth and global security; understanding the growth of nuclear energy in the Middle East and East Asia; tracking the evolution of nuclear security policies and governance structures; using existing voluntary frameworks as a model for nuclear security governance structures; and examining cybersecurity and other potential threats prompted by new technology developments. Read more.  
    • The Partnership for Global Security (PGS) is seeking candidates for the Della Ratta Global Energy and Security Fellowship. This is a $15,000 stipend-supported six-month position. The applicant’s term will run from January-June 2025. The Della Ratta Fellowship is a unique opportunity for early career candidates to develop the skills and experience that are necessary for a rapidly evolving technological, security, and geopolitical environment. The primary focus is on addressing the intensifying intersection of nuclear energy and commerce, climate change, global security, geopolitics, and international energy security. Read more. 
    • The Laboratory of Applied Nuclear Physics (LANPh) is announcing two openings at the level of a postdoc and/or research scientist. The selected scientists will have the chance to work on groundbreaking research in nuclear physics applied to problems in nuclear security, such as arms control, cargo security, and nuclear detection. The principal duties include contributing to existing projects at LANPh in leading/co-leading roles’ guiding graduate and undergraduate students in their research, designing experiments and new engineering concepts, and co-authoring papers and proposals.Read more. 
    • The Nuclear Threat Initiative is seeking a Director, with a focus on Nuclear Energy, to join the Nuclear Materials Security (NMS) team. This position reports to the Vice President for NMS.  This is a full-time hybrid position, working a minimum of three days a week in our Washington, DC office. Read more. 
    • The Raymond Frankel Nuclear Security Policy Fellowship provides an opportunity for an early-career professional with training in security studies or nuclear policy to learn about a career in public policy and administration. Reporting to the Chief Program Officer, the Fellow will assume primary responsibility for one or more workstreams within the Academy’s nuclear and global security portfolio. They will work in close coordination with Academy staff, the Academy’s Committee on International Security Studies (CISS), and project chairs to steward and advance the work of this program area. Read more.