Nuclear security

70 years on, nuclear security threat grows

This August marks the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only use of nuclear weapons for warfare in history. The massive loss of life and wider devastation caused ultimately led Japan, within days, to surrender in the Second World War to Allied Forces.

Seven decades on, the world is transformed from that of 1945, but nuclear security remains a key issue. However, rather than concern being exclusively focused on potential use of atomic weapons by one of the handful of states with such arsenal, the agenda of policymakers is increasingly attuned to the dangers of nuclear terrorism.