LOOSE NUKES ARE NOT A LEGITIMATE THREAT- ALL NUKES ARE ACCOUNTED FOR. John Mueller 2009 (Woody Hayes Chair of National Security Studies, Mershon Center Professor of Political Science, "The Atomic Terrorist" commissioned by the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Terrorism, April 30, http://www.icnnd.org/research/Mueller_Terrorism.pdf There has also been great worry about loose nukes especially in post-Communist Russia— weapons, suitcase bombs in particular, that can be stolen or bought illicitly. However, both Russian nuclear officials and experts on the Russian nuclear programs have adamantly denied that al-Qaeda or any other terrorist group could have bought such weapons. They further point out that the bombs, all built before 1991, are difficult to maintain and have a lifespan of one to three years, after which they become radioactive scrap metal Similarly, a careful assessment conducted by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies has concluded that it is unlikely that any of these devices have actually been lost and that, regardless, their effectiveness would be very low or even nonexistent because they (like all nuclear weapons) require continual maintenance. Even some of those most alarmed by the prospect of atomic terrorism have concluded that It is probably true that there are no loose nukes, transportable nuclear weapons missing from their proper storage locations and available for purchase in someway
