Reposted by Nickolas RothMatthew Bunn @matthew-bunn.bsky.social · 27/05/2026I directed the 1994 NAS study on plutonium disposition that recommended using excess weapons plutonium as fuel as one of the paths—and >30 years later, no one’s managed to do it at reasonable cost. 1145
Reposted by Nickolas RothMatthew Bunn @matthew-bunn.bsky.social · 27/05/2026The statement from Oklo that using plutonium fuel will really speed up deployment of new nuclear energy reflects a company that’s never attempted to build and operate a plutonium handling facility. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/c...nytimes.comU.S. Seeks to Give Weapons-Grade Plutonium to Start-Ups for Fuel 32712
Reposted by Nickolas RothAlex Wellerstein @wellerstein.bsky.social · 07/04/2026The reason that the US President has the exclusive authority to order the use of nuclear weapons is because Truman set up the system along those lines after WWII. This is often depicted as either a power grab, or because in the nuclear age such decisions "must" be made quickly. This is false. 5438106
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 07/04/2026Rhetoric about “a whole civilization dying tonight” is alarming coming from someone w/ sole authority over nuclear weapons. Even as hyperbole, it normalizes catastrophic thinking & raises serious concerns about judgment, restraint, and escalation risk. www.nbcnews.com/politics/whi...nbcnews.comTrump says 'a whole civilization will die tonight' ahead of deadline for IranTrump's threat is among his most extreme rhetoric toward Iran since the war started. 010
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 06/04/2026Deeply concerning: You can’t replace rigorous, adversary-driven testing with self-led drills and expect the same level of confidence. Security isn’t a box-checking exercise. It’s about proving systems work under real pressure. www.yahoo.com/news/article...yahoo.comUS nuclear power regulator phases out agency-led commando drills at plantsBy Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. nuclear power regulator voted last week to phase out agency-led security inspections at operating reactors, a move a safety advocate said 020
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 05/04/2026Incidents like the strike near Bushehr risk normalizing something the international community has long tried to avoid: treating nuclear facilities as fair targets. That’s a precedent with consequences far beyond this conflict. www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/202...aljazeera.comWhy an attack on Bushehr nuclear plant would be catastrophic for the GulfThe US and Israel have repeatedly hit the plant, raising risks of radioactive contamination far beyond Iran's borders. 000
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 03/04/2026We said the quiet part out loud, "The Budget focuses the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) on its most important mission— producing a robust, credible, and modern nuclear deterrent..." whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...whitehouse.gov 000
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 28/01/2026www.linkedin.com/posts/nickol...linkedin.comThe Trump administration has secretly rewritten nuclear safety rules | Nickolas Rothhttps://lnkd.in/e_Zf-kcM We should all be deeply concerned by recent reporting from NPR that the U.S. Department of Energy has quietly rewritten key nuclear safety and security directives governing r... 000
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 06/12/2025Any nuclear regulator or organization not actively planning to defend against drones is way behind the times. www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/879...kurdistan24.netFrance Activates Counter-Measures After Drone Swarm Breaches Airspace Near Nuclear Sub BaseFrench military deployed anti-drone measures after five UAVs breached the airspace of the Ile Longue nuclear submarine base, sparking a probe. 000
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 05/12/2025The Trump administration is pursuing increased nuclear weapons production while reducing independent safety oversight of the organizations involved. And it’s not just weapons, commercial nuclear oversight is being eroded as well. www.armscontrol.org/act/2025-12/... @armscontrolnow.bsky.socialarmscontrol.orgU.S. Weapons Complex Safety Board at Risk | Arms Control Association 002
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 21/11/2025This proposal is problematic on many levels, including that it rewards the attack on and seizure of a peaceful nuclear facility, norms that should not be reinforced. www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2...telegraph.co.ukRead in full: Trump and Putin’s 28-point peace plan for UkraineIn return for end to conflict, Russia will be given entire Donbas region and Crimea 000
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 31/10/2025Most important point: “Trust has been difficult to build again.” missionlocal.org/2025/10/navy...missionlocal.orgU.S. Navy found elevated plutonium in Bayview — S.F. says it was kept in the darkSan Francisco officials say they weren’t told that the Navy detected plutonium at the Hunters Point Shipyard for 11 months. 010
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 31/10/2025"Even so, she said the latest arrests did not uncover the loot." This is why nuclear security is so important: Once material is stolen, it is very hard to get back. www.pbs.org/newshour/wor...pbs.orgKey details emerge in Louvre jewel heist as 5 more are arrestedKey planning details have snapped into focus. 110
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 30/10/2025I'd argue testing in the hands of anyone is a bad idea, but point well taken. 110
Reposted by Nickolas RothJames Cameron @jjjcameron.bsky.social · 30/10/2025And has done so to the United States' advantage, even in a narrow military-technical sense. 071
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 30/10/2025In the 33 years before the U.S. halted nuclear testing in 1992, countries conducted over 1,000 tests. In the 33 years since? Roughly 20. The global moratorium—and the treaty backing it—has curbed both the spread and sophistication of nuclear weapons worldwide. 518457
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 23/06/2025My point exactly www.nytimes.com/2025/06/22/u...nytimes.comU.S. Officials Concede They Don’t Know Whereabouts of Iran’s Uranium Stockpile 020
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 22/06/2025The administration is either downplaying the risk of unaccounted for weapons useable material in Iran or is unaware. From this morning’s interview with VP vance: “The UN's Atomic Energy Watchdog said that Iran had 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium. Do we know what has become of that?”podcasts.apple.comFull Episode: Sunday, June 22, 2025Podcast Episode · This Week with George Stephanopoulos · 06/22/2025 · 53m 120
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 15/05/2025Want to kill the nuclear renaissance? Tie it to costly, risky, and unnecessary separated plutonium. www.reuters.com/business/ene...reuters.comUS would assess nuclear waste, plutonium for reactor fuel under draft orderNuclear waste and radioactive plutonium would be assessed as a fuel for reactors under a draft executive order being considered by the administration of President Donald Trump on expanding nuclear power, moves opposed by nonproliferation experts. 010
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 13/03/2025This is the Mona Lisa of my nuclear nightmares. 010
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 10/03/2025The Trump administration is proposing a 7% cut to Department of Energy Nonproliferation programs to fund unnecessary nuclear weapons programs. Doesn't sound like much, until you see the long term trend. Obsolescence by a thousand cuts, but the cuts began long before the 2nd Trump administration. 011
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 08/03/2025www.nytimes.com/2025/03/08/s...nytimes.comTrump Freeze on Aid to Nuclear Inspectors Undercuts His Iran PolicyThe president’s halt of foreign aid upended two U.S. programs that help the International Atomic Energy Agency find clues about Iran’s drive to build atomic bombs. 000
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 06/03/2025"A 60 percent cut would be significantly more severe, according to the memo. It would fundamentally eliminate America’s role in preventing the spread of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons..." www.wired.com/story/pentag...wired.comPentagon Cuts Threaten Programs That Secure Loose Nukes and Weapons of Mass DestructionDocuments obtained by WIRED show the US Department of Defense is considering cutting up to 75 percent of workers who stop the spread of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. 000
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 28/02/2025"Two weeks after it was hit by a drone, Ukrainian firefighters are still trying to extinguish smouldering fires within the large structure built over the reactor destroyed in the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear accident..." www.iaea.org/newscenter/p...iaea.orgUpdate 278 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine | IAEA 010
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 24/02/2025Hard to tell the difference between DOGE & threat/adversary behavior. “Even if people don’t send classified information, the aggregation of all this information in one place would become classified information, which is a national security violation..." www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...washingtonpost.comSeveral administration officials tell workers not to reply to Musk emailLeaders at defense and intelligence offices were particularly wary of Musk’s demand over the weekend asking workers to outline what they did last week. 000
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 20/02/2025I can’t believe the next NTI Index might have to downgrade the United States for not having an independent nuclear regulator…😡 apnews.com/article/trum...apnews.comTrump seeks greater control of independent regulators with his new executive orderPresident Donald Trump is moving to give the White House direct control of independent federal regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal C... 000
Reposted by Nickolas RothJoe Cirincione @joecirin.bsky.social · 18/02/2025Many of those Elon Musk fired are part of the management team overseeing tens of thousands of scientists, engineers and technicians who build, maintain and guard the U.S. arsenal of some 5,000 nuclear weapons. Chaos and Nuclear Weapons are not a good mix. www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...msnbc.comOpinion | DOGE’s incompetence is a threat to America’s nuclear safetyThe Trump administration is showing why chaos and nuclear weapons are not a good mix. 093
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 19/02/2025Great piece @joecirin.bsky.social: "Chaos & nuclear weapons are not a good mix. There are certainly savings to be found in the massive nuclear weapons complex...However, abruptly firing employees w/o cause & w/o a coherent plan is a recipe for disaster, not savings." www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...msnbc.comOpinion | DOGE’s incompetence is a threat to America’s nuclear safetyThe Trump administration is showing why chaos and nuclear weapons are not a good mix. 122
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 18/02/2025When an adversary takes control or your org: “What do I do if someone with no need to know comes and says, ‘I need to see this file on Ukraine, or warhead design?’” an NNSA employee posed. “The idea of turning over sensitive or classified data versus losing your job? ” www.cnn.com/2025/02/17/c...cnn.comTrump officials struggled to reinstate nuclear weapons staff after firing hundreds | CNNOfficials backtracked on the terminations Friday after multiple members of Congress petitioned Energy Sec. Chris Wright to reverse course, explaining the dire national security implications. 000
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 06/02/2025“Even the mere perception that DOGE was not minding proper security protocols could hinder the NNSA’s relationships with other countries, which are essential to its nonproliferation work.” www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...theatlantic.comIf DOGE Goes NuclearThe risk of messing with the wrong computer system 010
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 02/02/2025What happens when this showdown occurs within USG organizations responsible for overseeing the world’s most dangerous technologies and materials? www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...washingtonpost.comUSAID security officials on leave after refusing access to Musk alliesBillionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk has been denigrating USAID, which is the world’s largest provider of food assistance. 000
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 30/01/2025The United States is the world’s largest economic and military power, not a social media platform. If you recklessly eliminate government jobs, you jeopardize lives, not just tweets. www.ans.org/news/2025-01...ans.orgIndependent nuclear waste board members asked to resign 010
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 29/01/2025“Simultaneously deploying a missile defense system of questionable effectiveness against any real threat” while “suspending operative programs against nuclear or bioterrorists, sophisticated cyberattackers or others” is a “terrible trade-off” www.nytimes.com/2025/01/28/u...nytimes.comTrump Orders ‘Iron Dome’ for U.S., but Freezes Funds for Nuclear ProtectionThe United States is estimated to have spent more than $400 billion on the kinds of antimissile goals that the president now says will provide “for the common defense.” 000
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 14/01/2025Excellent piece thebulletin.org/premium/2025...thebulletin.orgRisks of geologic disposal of weapons plutoniumThe US plans to bury its excess weapons plutonium at a geologic repository in southeastern New Mexico called the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). But WIPP was not originally designed to handle high... 042
Reposted by Nickolas RothEbs @ebs02.bsky.social · 04/12/2024Sounds familiar www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/m...nytimes.comThe Secret Pentagon War Game That Offers a Stark Warning for Our TimesThe devastating outcome of the 1983 game reveals that nuclear escalation inevitably spirals out of control. 011
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 04/12/2024www.newsweek.com/putin-ally-p...newsweek.comPutin ally predicts nuclear "radiation zone" could end war in UkraineKonstantin Malofeyev said that if Russia fired a nuclear weapon, the resulting radiation zone would end the Russia-Ukraine war. 100
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 22/11/2024Seems like the House wants to follow Russia’s recent NGO playbook. apnews.com/article/nonp...apnews.comHouse passes bill that would allow Treasury to target nonprofits it deems to support terrorismThe U.S. House passed legislation that would give the Treasury Department unilateral authority to strip the tax-exempt status of nonprofits it claims support terrorism. 011
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 18/11/2024Common sense security measures meet culture wars. It does not bode well for the prospects of keeping dangerous technologies out of the hands of violent extremists. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...washingtonpost.comPentagon pick left Guard after being reported as possible ‘insider threat’ due to tattooPete Hegseth was barred from protecting President Biden’s inauguration in 2021 after enlisted soldiers complained that Hegseth’s chest tattoo might signify that he was a white supremacist. The D.C. N... 010
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 17/11/2023“We didn’t believe that Hamas had this capability, and so we didn’t see it coming.” This security failure should thoroughly studied. This is a good start. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio... 000
Reposted by Nickolas RothBen Loehrke @nonstrategic.bsky.social · 01/11/2023Listening to excellent stories in conversation on Operation Auburn Endeavor. With Petre Mamradze, Matt Bunn, and event co-organizer @nickolasroth.bsky.social. “Nuclear Adventures” event in Tbilisi with @stanleycenter.bsky.social . 041
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 25/10/2023Jamie Dimon @jpmorgan “I just would put on your table the most serious thing facing mankind is nuclear proliferation. If we’re not sitting here 100 years from now, it will be nuclear proliferation. It’s not our climate.” www.cnbc.com/2023/10/24/j... 010
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 25/09/2023Near the top of the list of countries that should want stronger norms against state and non-state attacks on nuclear facilities. www.reuters.com/business/ene... 000
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 13/09/2023Here's the problem: Whether or not it's true (and I have no reason to think it is), it's plausible. Given the relatively weak international condemnation of attacks on Ukrainian nuclear facilities, I worry the norm against it will disappear. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home... 020
Reposted by Nickolas RothAmplifyUkraine 🔱🇺🇦 @amplifyukraine.eu · 22/08/2023Russian media: Putin fires General Surovikinkyivindependent.comRussian media: Putin fires General SurovikinRussian dictator Vladimir Putin has removed Army General Sergey Surovikin from his post of Air Force Commander, Russian media reported on Aug. 22. The general was also the deputy commander of the Russian invasion forces in Ukraine. 145
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 16/08/2023"Zaporizhzhia is in a kind of grace period that is not infinite. A possible slow-motion disaster has been brewing for a long time and the world must be able to act now before it happens." katoikos.world/analysis/nuclear-fac… 000
Nickolas Roth @nickolasroth.bsky.social · 01/08/2023Smart. Provide little of the protection that might deter nuclear use, but make empty threats about retaliation that might be incorrectly interpreted. thehill.com/homenews/senate/4129937… 000