THE THEFT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE- MOST ARE LOCATED IN THE US AND RUSSIA AND ARE EXTREMELY SECURE. Michael A. Levi, David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment and Director of the Program on Energy Security and Climate Change, Deterring State Sponsorship of Nuclear Terrorism published by the Council on Foreign Relations 2008, pg. 2 With about twenty-seven thousand nuclear weapons in the arsenals of eight nations (Britain, China, France, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States, terrorists appear to have a target-rich environment.All but about one thousand of these weapons reside in two countries Russia and the United States.The theft of a nuclear weapon is a staple of movies such as The Peacemaker and television shows such as 24. In practice, such thefts are difficult to carryout. Often considered the crown jewels of a nuclear-armed nations security, nuclear weapons are usually rigorously guarded. But being difficult to steal does not mean impossible. In particular, transporting and deploying nuclear weapons outside of highly secure, central storage sites can increase susceptibility to theft. In December 2004, the US. National Intelligence Council warned, Russian authorities twice thwarted terrorist efforts to reconnoiter nuclear weapon storage sites in 2002” and that terrorists inside Russia also showed a suspicious amount of interest in the transportation of nuclear munitions
