Obama shares size of U.S. nuclear stockpile with the world
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/obama-shares-size-of-u.s.-nuclear-stockpile/article/2587444By Nicole Duran (@Duranni1) • 4/1/16 3:17 PM
President Obama boasted Friday about his administration's exemplary record on transparency related to nuclear materials, and cited as an example his decision to share U.S. security protocols with the world, along with information about the size of the U.S.'s highly enriched uranium stockpile.
As of Sept. 30, 2013 the nation had 585.6 metric tons of highly enriched uranium, a fact that hasn't been declassified in 15 years, Obama noted during the summit's opening session. The last public figure was 740.7 metric tons, and the difference shows the U.S. has reduced its stockpile by more than 20 percent.
"This type of information sharing … is an important part of the effort to strengthen global nuclear security," the White House stated in releasing the data. "The value of transparency has been highlighted by the United States throughout the Nuclear Security Summit process."
Obama noted that since the first summit in 2010, more than a dozen countries have completely eliminated their highly enriched uranium and plutonium supplies.
On the closing day of his nuclear summit with 50 other national leaders, Obama also said the Navy is trying to find a way to convert its nuclear submarines away from highly enriched uranium, which can be used to make nuclear weapons.
