On the occasion of the launch of a new SIPRI report, Nuclear Security in the Black Sea Region: Contested Spaces, National Capacities and Multinational Potential, SIPRI co-hosted two events in Washington, DC, in December.
A public discussion was held on 11 December in cooperation with George Washington University (GWU) at the Elliott School of International Affairs, chaired by Professor Sharon Squassoni of the Institute for International Science and Technology Policy (IISTP) at GWU.
A closed briefing for US Senate working staff was held on 12 December in cooperation with the Fissile Material Working Group. This session was chaired by Ambassador Laura S. H. Holgate, former Special Assistant to President Obama on issues of Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism and Threat Reduction, currently with the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).
Both occasions featured SIPRI’s Dr Ian Anthony, Vitaly Fedchenko as well as Vadym Ivko, Head of the International Technical Assistance unit of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Discussions focused on how the recent regional security developments in the Black Sea have changed nuclear security risks—including nuclear smuggling—and what steps could be taken to minimize these new risks.
Watch the live-stream of the public event, read the short essay on the report and access the full publication.