Radioactive pieces of industrial metal that could be used in terrorist attacks are sometimes secured with little more than ordinary padlocks, according to congressional auditors, who also called the procedures for background checks of employers handling the materials ineffective.
Armed security forces at a nuclear missile base failed a drill last summer that simulated the hostile takeover of a missile launch silo, according to an internal Air Force review obtained by The Associated Press. The review stated that forces were unable to speedily regain control of the captured nuclear weapon. It also stated that the team failed to take “all lawful actions necessary to immediately regain control of nuclear weapons.”
Thirty-five countries pledged Tuesday to turn international guidelines on nuclear security into national laws, including France, Britain, Canada and Israel. This move is aimed at preventing terrorists from acquiring nuclear material. The initiative also commits countries to open up their security procedures to independent review – a further step toward creating an international legal framework to mitigate risks of nuclear terrorism.
The number of countries possessing the makings of a nuclear bomb has dropped by almost one-quarter over the past two years, but there remain “dangerous weak links” in nuclear materials security, says a report.
Every commercial nuclear reactor in the U.S. is insufficiently protected against "credible" terrorist attacks, according to a Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Project report.
Tactical-level errors during a small team exercise revealed discrepancies at the Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, marking the unit's entire inspection as a failure.
As all security experts know, one of the basic principles utilized in securing buildings or institutions is controlling access onto the property and into building by using basic security measures such as security officers, fencing, bars on windows or electronic access control systems.
