
Scott A. Roecker
Vice President, Nuclear Materials Security
Global leaders meeting had no baseline for assessing the security of weapons-usable nuclear materials or nuclear facilities.
With the Economist Intelligence Unit, NTI created a first-of-its-kind public benchmarking of nuclear security in 176 countries.
The Nuclear Security Index helped shape the agenda for the Nuclear Security Summits and spurs action to enhance security and reduce highly-enriched uranium stocks.
The 2020 NTI Nuclear Security Index website and report are now available here.
Translations of the report are available here.
The NTI Nuclear Security Index is a first-of-its-kind public benchmarking project of nuclear security conditions on a country-by-country basis in 176 countries. Initially launched in 2012, the NTI Index, prepared with the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), has sparked international discussions about priorities required to strengthen security and most important, is encouraging governments to provide assurances and take actions to reduce risks.
The NTI Index is recognized as the premier resource and tool for tracking progress on nuclear security. The 2018 NTI Nuclear Security Index assesses the security of some of the world’s deadliest materials (highly enriched uranium and plutonium that can be used to build nuclear weapons), as well as the security of nuclear facilities, which, if sabotaged, could release dangerous levels of radiation.
The NTI Index ranks countries with one kilogram or more of weapons-usable nuclear materials across a broad framework capturing policies, actions, and other conditions that shape their nuclear security. Additional countries with less than one kilogram of weapons-usable nuclear materials or none at all are assessed across a subset of the framework. This “Theft Ranking” has been included in every edition of the NTI Index.
In 2016, the NTI Index added a third set of countries in a new “Sabotage Ranking.” An act of sabotage against a nuclear facility could lead to a dangerous radiation release. This assessment reviews the protection of nuclear facilities against sabotage in 44 countries and Taiwan.
The project draws on NTI’s nuclear expertise and the EIU’s experience in constructing indices, and the reach of the EIU’s global network analysts and contributors. NTI—working with an international panel of nuclear security experts and a number of technical advisors—focused on the framework and priorities that define effective nuclear materials security conditions. The EIU was responsible for developing the Excel-based model and gathering the data.
The NTI Index consists of:
NTI thanks the funders who have supported this project, including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Robertson Foundation, and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.
Nuclear security experts from around the world joined NTI Tuesday for a webinar on “Global Tools for Nuclear Security: An Introduction to IAEA Information Circulars on Nuclear Security.”
Countries should step up their efforts to close gaps and support, contribute to, and participate in efforts to bolster the global nuclear security architecture.
Nuclear Security is Only as Strong as the Weakest Link: 2020 NTI Index Highlights Cybersecurity and Insider Threat Prevention
Assesses countries’ progress on nuclear security, highlights security gaps, and recommends actions for governments to better protect nuclear materials and facilities and build an effective global nuclear security architecture.
Past Event
11:00 AM EDT
NTI announces the winners of the 2019 NTI Nuclear Security Index Challenge.
NTI Nuclear Security Index Challenge calls for proposals that use the rankings to spur government action.
Past Event
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC
The NTI Nuclear Security Index finds that the steps countries have taken to reduce nuclear terrorism are jeopardized by various factors.
The group discussed nuclear security and nuclear forensics techniques, crucial aspects to tracking nuclear material.
NTI's Michelle Nalabandian joined the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs and the Egyptian Pugwash Association in Cairo, meeting with young professionals to discuss WMD issues.
Dr. Page Stoutland, Vice President for Scientific and Technical Affairs lauded Dumbacher's experience with cyber security and national security policy.
This first-of-its-kind, downloadable database is accompanied by an interactive map that illustrates the tests by location, missile name and type, and results.
On May14th, North Korea tested its longest-range missile to date, the Hwasong-12, which flew 787 kilometers with the potential to go much further.
An updated, two-session education module on nuclear materials security for undergraduate or graduate courses is now available, based on the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit
The Asia-Pacific Leadership Network released a series of articles providing regional perspectives to the Nuclear Threat Initiatives 2016 Nuclear Security Index.
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James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, 1400 K Street, NW, Suite 1225, Washington, DC, 20005
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Lindner Commons, 6th floor, 1957 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20052
Washington Post praises achievements but also raises concerns about future progress after the fourth and final Nuclear Security Summit.
While the three previous Nuclear Security Summits have resulted in much progress to secure the world’s vulnerable nuclear materials, significant security gaps remain.
New videos are available of the launch of the 2016 Nuclear Security Index, a unique public assessment of the security of the world’s deadliest materials.
The 2016 NTI Nuclear Security Index finds that progress on reducing the threat of nuclear terrorism has slowed and major gaps remain in the global nuclear security system.
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Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
Because highly enriched uranium (HEU) is a key ingredient in nuclear weapons, it is important to track how much civil HEU exists and where it is.
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Newseum, Washington, DC
Download the Russian, Chinese, Arabic, French, or Spanish translations of the 2014 NTI Nuclear Materials Security Index report’s foreword, executive summary, and select country profiles.
NTI experts available to members of the new media covering the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit
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Vienna, Austria
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Washington, DC
A new video, shown at the launch of the 2014 NTI Index, applauds the seven countries that removed all or most weapons-usable nuclear materials since 2012.
A new, short video describes three real-world nuclear security breaches and the steps to prevent terrorists from getting a nuclear weapon.
NTI Co-Chairman Sam Nunn speaks at the release of the 2014 NTI Nuclear Materials Security Index launch at the National Press Club.
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National Press Club
Index Highlights Positive Trends and Dangerous Gaps As World Leaders Prepare for Nuclear Security Summit in March
The release of the 2014 NTI Nuclear Materials Security Index, a unique public assessment of nuclear materials security conditions in 176 countries.
In January 2012, the NTI released their Nuclear Materials Security Index, a first-of-its-kind public assessment of nuclear materials security conditions in 176 countries.
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Washington, DC
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The Brookings Institution
NTI contributes an article on the NTI Nuclear Materials Security Index to the inaugural INENS Insights publication, distributed at the NPT PrepCom in May 2012
NTI's Deepta Choubey was featured alongside MacArthur Foundation President Bob Gallucci and Harvard's Matt Bunn.
NTI senior director, Deepti Choubey, noted that transparency is a key issue for countries in the region with weapons-usable nuclear materials.
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London, United Kingdom
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Vienna, Austria
The Index examines nuclear security conditions in 176 countries, underscoring that there is no global consensus on steps to secure nuclear materials.
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National Press Club, Washington, DC
The Index was created to spark an international discussion about priorities required to strenghten security and ensure governments reduce risks.