US Weighs Progress of Securing Global Nuclear Materials

According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) ... the United States needs to take additional steps to secure vulnerable nuclear materials.

Workers in safety gear stand near the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in this recent photo. The U.S. will examine international efforts in securing nuclear materials at a conference in Seoul that begins March 26. Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images

It was almost three years ago that President Barack Obama gave his April speech in Prague on his vision of a world free of nuclear weapons.

One of Obama’s key announcements was a “new international effort to secure all vulnerable nuclear material around the world within four years.” He said this would include building on efforts “to break up black markets,” catch material in transit, and “use financial tools to disrupt this dangerous trade.”

This effort, and how effective it has been, will be a key topic at the March 26 Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea.