Alissa Tabirian
NS&D Monitor
11/13/2015

The strength of the United States’ global partnerships on civil nuclear cooperation lie in the quality and reliability of American nuclear components and the reputational advantages they offer to foreign nations, according to a Department of State official. Thomas Countryman, assistant secretary of the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, said last Friday at the White House Summit on Nuclear Energy that “the world knows that American nuclear components are built by the world’s best workers, designed by the world’s best engineers.” He added that countries purchasing American technology “know that they will also be importing the highest standards of nuclear security to prevent diversion of nuclear material to any kind of terrorist group.”

Under these peaceful nuclear cooperation deals, known as 123 agreements, the U.S. transfers nuclear material and equipment to foreign nations committed to complying with nonproliferation standards. South Korea, Norway, Kazakhstan and Brazil are among the countries that have signed 123 agreements with the U.S.

Countryman said that civil nuclear cooperation agreements offer reputational advantages, as other countries recognize American leadership “in upholding the highest standards of the nuclear nonproliferation regime” by “insisting upon open, competitive, transparency processes.” These processes build confidence “between those who build and those who are ordering those components” and are “crucial to garnering public support for nuclear construction in any country,” he said. Disadvantages, he said, include financing problems and the United States’ inability “to determine our own final plans for disposition of spent [nuclear] fuel.” Countryman pledged that the Department of State will work to maximize advantages to the U.S. nuclear industry without increasing the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation.