Editing Nuclear terrorism (section)

== Prevention ==
[[File:GTRI Announcement (02816962) (49825173727).jpg|thumb|The announcement of the United States' [[Global Threat Reduction Initiative]] at the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]]'s headquarters in [[Vienna]], Austria in 2004]]
Unlike state-level use of nuclear weapons, retaliation is not likely to deter terrorist groups from the use of nuclear weapons, so the doctrine of [[mutually assured destruction]] does not apply.<ref name=":2" /> 

Denial of access to nuclear materials is thus the approach taken by interested nations. Techniques include import and export restrictions, physical security at nuclear facilities to prevent theft, and consolidation or elimination of stockpiles to reduce the security perimeter.<ref name=":2" /> The United States subsidizes security for nuclear materials and dismantlement of nuclear weapons through the [[Cooperative Threat Reduction]] and [[Global Threat Reduction Initiative]] programs.

Different countries have their own proposals for how to secure nuclear materials. In China, during 2020 there was a proposal for security measures to be developed surrounding radioactive material transportation.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=Zeng |first1=Tiejun |last2=Yang |first2=Xiaohua |last3=Wan |first3=Yaping |last4=Mao |first4=Yu |last5=Liu |first5=Zhenghai |date=2020-09-11 |title=Vehicle Transport Security System Based on the Self-Security Intelligence of Radioactive Material |journal=Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations |language=en |volume=2020 |pages=1–7 |doi=10.1155/2020/3507167 |doi-access=free |issn=1687-6075}}</ref> Similarly, the UK had an approach in 2021. A UK review was published surrounding the use of radiation detection systems with shipping container cargo, and how future systems should be designed as to implement improved detection technologies without negatively impacting the shipping industry.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Connolly |first1=Euan L. |last2=Martin |first2=Peter G. |date=September 2021 |title=Current and Prospective Radiation Detection Systems, Screening Infrastructure and Interpretive Algorithms for the Non-Intrusive Screening of Shipping Container Cargo: A Review |journal=Journal of Nuclear Engineering |language=en |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=246–280 |doi=10.3390/jne2030023 |doi-access=free |issn=2673-4362}}</ref>

Efforts to secure nuclear materials are also made by threatening to punish any country that uses, sells, or gives away nuclear weapons or materials.<ref name=":2" /> One example of this is when U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] threatened North Korea with consequences if they were to engage in such behavior.<ref>{{Citation |title=North Korea's Nuclear Programme |date=2012-10-12 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203168325-16 |work=How Nuclear Weapons Spread |pages=94–98 |publisher=Routledge |doi=10.4324/9780203168325-16 |isbn=9780203168325 |access-date=2022-05-01}}</ref>

=== Organizations to combat nuclear terrorism ===
The [[Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism]] (GICNT) is an international partnership of 88 nations and 5 official observers working to improve capacity on a national and international level for prevention, detection, and response to a nuclear terrorist event.  Partners join the GICNT by endorsing the Statement of Principles, a set of broad nuclear security objectives.  GICNT partner nations organize and host workshops, conferences, and exercises to share best practices for implementing the Statement of Principles.  The GICNT also holds Plenary meetings to discuss improvements and changes to the partnership.

[[The World Institute for Nuclear Security]] is an organization which seeks to prevent nuclear terrorism and improve world nuclear security. It works alongside the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]].  WINS was formed in 2008, less than a year after a break-in at the [[Pelindaba]] nuclear facility in [[South Africa]], which contained enough [[enriched uranium]] to make several nuclear bombs.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}}