A Fresh Look at Highly Enriched Uranium for Naval Propulsion and Associated Proliferation Risks

Large military stockpiles of highly enriched uranium (HEU) exist in Russia and the United States that are well in excess of weapons and future naval fuel requirements. The paper identifies diminishing US needs for fuel for naval propulsion in the coming decades and argues that the levels of transparency for the naval fuel cycles could be increased. Declarations of all stocks of fissile weapons-usable materials could be a prerequisite for future deeper cuts in nuclear arsenals and for identifying optimal nonproliferation solutions. Suggestions for international transparency measures for naval fuel cycles, which would not reveal proliferation sensitive information, are presented and its prospects discussed.