WEAPONS ARE EQUIPPED WITH HIGH-TECH SECURITY SYSTEMS THAT TERRORISTS CANT BYPASS. 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. 2-3 Even if a nuclear weapon is stolen, terrorists must find away to activate it. Security and arming devices on most nuclear weapons may block terrorists from using these weapons. For example, specialized security codes called permissive action links (PALs) are required to unlock US. nuclear weapons. These electronic locks allow only a limited number of tries to enter the correct code before the weapon disables itself. The more advanced nuclear weapon states of Britain, China, France, and Russia reportedly use similar security systems. Although most Russian nuclear weapons are believed to be equipped with PALs, an unknown number of older Russian tactical nuclear arms may not have this security system. Most of these weapons may have been dismantled or are scheduled for dismantlement, but some may still be deployed. It is unknown whether India, Israel, and Pakistan use PALs, although the United States in recent years may have provided PAL assistance to Pakistan.
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