“Plutonium is a double-edged sword,” said Sig Hecker in his talk “Plutonium: War and Disaster or Peace and Prosperity?” presented at the Lab Wednesday. “There are certainly benefits to nuclear materials,” continued Hecker. “They’re used in medicine and industry, and can act as a deterrent. However, the risks include proliferation, war, and radiological disasters. We can’t take this matter lightly.”
Hecker noted that many people want to seek the goal of “zero” when it comes to nuclear materials. “But what does that really mean?” he asked. “Zero fissile missiles? Zero nuclear facilities? And even then, what does that mean for us? Does that mean a safer world?”
Despite the risks associated with nuclear materials, Hecker stressed the importance of focusing on the positive. “The assets need to be visible, which has been a problem until now. We need to play up the benefits [that nuclear materials offer society] in order to win the game and gain more acceptance for these sorts of programs.”
Laboratory director from 1986 to 1997, Hecker currently is co-director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University. He has traveled around the world visiting nuclear programs, including those in Russia, North Korea, and India.
The talk was co-sponsored by Materials Physics Applications (MPA) Division and the LANL Institutes.
