The September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have shown that well-organized global terriorist groups bent on causing mass murder and destruction are no longer hypothetical. There can now be little doubt that if such terrorists could acquire weapons-usable nuclear materials across a city, they would likely attempt that as well. Under these circumstances, measures to further strengthen the protection of nuclear materials and muclear installations are urgently needed.

This report first reviews the need to strengthen protection of nuclear materials and muclear reactors against terrorists and thieves and then examines the need for better trianing of those charged with protection responsibilities to meet this challenge. Our research suggests that security practices vary significantly country to country, giving thieves and terrorists opportunities to steal nuclear material or to sabotage nuclear facilities in some countries that they do not have in others.