Three years ago, the United States and Russia agreed to dispose of 34 tons of weapons-grade plutonium--more than enough to manufacture 17,000 nuclear bombs. This year, the Bush administration will begin construction of a facility to fashion this plutonium into "fuel" for use in civilian nuclear reactors, with Russia pledged to follow suit. Total cost to the American taxpayer: at least $4 billion.
But is this program, as its proponents argue, the best way to dispose of weapons-grade plutonium? Or will it heighten the risk that this deadly material falls into the hands of terrorists? What can be done to protect our country against nuclear theft and nuclear terrorism?
AEI and the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center will cosponsor a panel discussion to address these and other questions. Participants will include Richard Garwin, Philip D. Reed Senior Fellow and director of science and technology at the Council on Foreign Relations; Henry Rowen, professor emeritus at Stanford University; and Victor Gilinsky, independent energy consultant. Fred Iklé, distinguished scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, will serve as moderator.
