A Strong U.S. Nuclear Enterprise Enhances Global Nuclear Proliferation Management
Nuclear policy in the U.S. has evolved over the last five decades as a result of reactions to certain defining events in the evolution of global nuclear technology. These events generally involved either safety issues or concerns about the potential proliferation of nuclear weapons. A world unthreatened by nuclear weapons proliferation is a vision that U.S. policy has strived for since the early years of the atomic age. The U.S. approach to stemming the spread of nuclear weapons has undergone three significant changes over the last fifty-plus years. The McMahon Act of 1946 proscribed dissemination of U. S. nuclear technology overseas for any purpose, whether for weapons or peaceful uses. This approach was superseded by the Atomic Energy Act, stimulated by the Atoms for Peace Initiative (1), which provided for the sharing of substantial scope of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes with countries willing to forego nuclear weapons development. In the decades that followed, the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was signed by 187 nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was formed to monitor adherence to the Treaty and assist in technology transfer. This international initiative was instrumental in limiting the emergence of new States with nuclear weapons capabilities to a few as compared to the more than fifty that was projected in the early 50's.
- Research Organization:
- Savannah River Site (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-96SR18500
- OSTI ID:
- 774276
- Report Number(s):
- WSRC-MS-2001-00080
- Journal Information:
- Nuclear News, Journal Name: Nuclear News; ISSN NUNWA8; ISSN 0029-5574
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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