House cuts key program to keep nuclear weapons from terrorists

Along with the President, experts agree that limiting access to vulnerable nuclear weapons-usable materials greatly reduces the threat of nuclear terrorism. If terrorists acquire highly enriched uranium or plutonium, they will be able to produce a nuclear explosive device. The global financial cost and terrible destruction of a nuclear terrorist attack would dwarf the costs of preventing such an attack. 

The Nuclear National Security Administration’s Global Threat Reduction Initiative is the program that is likely to be the most affected by the House budget cuts. This program works to secure nuclear materials around the world and prevent these materials from being stolen by terrorists. It was slated to receive nearly $560 million in fiscal year 2011, a needed $225 million boost from fiscal 2010; but the Continuing Resolution eliminates that increase.  

To date, the Global Threat Reduction Initiative has made considerable progress in reducing and removing highly enriched uranium, a building block to produce nuclear weapons, from Russia, Serbia, Kazakhstan, South Africa, and Mexico.  

Since April 2009, six countries have given up their highly enriched uranium and a total of 120 bombs’ worth of nuclear material has been secured. At the close of 2010, the National Nuclear Security Administration announced that 111 pounds of highly enriched uranium were removed from three sites in Ukraine alone.    

The bipartisan 9/11 Commission responsible for investigating the terrorist attacks of September 11th warned that, “The greatest danger of another catastrophic attack in the United States will materialize if the world’s most dangerous terrorists acquire the world’s most dangerous weapons.”  

The Commission also found  that Al-Qaeda had been working diligently for a decade to acquire weapons of mass destruction, and determined that the United States would most certainly become a prime target if they succeed.  

During the first presidential debate in 2004, President Bush and Senator John Kerry agreed – as stated by the president – that, “The single, largest threat to American national security today is nuclear weapons in the hands of a terrorist network.”

More recently, the U.S. government’s National Security Strategy stated that, “There is no greater threat to the American people than weapons of mass destruction, particularly the danger posed by the pursuit of nuclear weapons by violent extremists.”

The fight against nuclear terrorism is a fight that can and must be won.

Fortunately, the Senate has an opportunity to reverse these reductions and protect vital national security programs when it considers the same bill in March. The Senate should shelter the non-proliferation budget from the House’s draconian cuts. At a minimum, Senate Republicans, who have been very supportive of non-proliferation programs in the past, should rein in their House brethren and act more responsibly to protect American national security.

Dealing with the federal budget deficit is a national priority and critical to the future of the United States, but the cost of reducing the deficit should not leave American cities vulnerable to nuclear devastation. The House actions must be undone.

Lt. Gen. Robert Gard (Ret.) is currently the Senior Military Fellow at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington, DC where he works on nuclear arms control and nuclear non-proliferation issues.