Nuclear Power and Security Essay

Submitted By davebrown
Words: 773
Pages: 4

The article I decided to use as my current event is entitled Security Breach at Nuke Plant a Wake up Call. The article talked about three elderly anti-nuclear activists (ages eighty-two, sixty-three and fifty-seven) breached the plants security getting through four-security fences undetected security at the Y-12 Nuclear power plant located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The article went on to talk about the three individuals being charged for a few different crimes, but the focus should not even be on that, but on how to protect this power plant as well as the others in this country better. These anti-nuclear activists did more than commit a crime or crimes; they exposed a big weakness in security of very dangerous substance. Although this is a local problem (United States) if three elderly citizens of this country were able to do what they did, then terrorists would be able to do much more damage.
This event happened in the United States of America making it a local issue but it has the potential to be a regional or even scarier a global issue. In the hands of the wrong people the nuclear substance that is supposed to be protected by security can turn into deadly weapons that could be used against us here in the United States, or any where around the world causing death and devastation that the world has yet to see. To prevent our nuclear plants here in the states from being broken into and nuclear being stolen, the government must make sure that whatever company they employ(whether it be TVA security or another), that they are properly trained and are actually doing their jobs. There cannot be anymore faulty equipment nor complacent security personal like the ones the Department of Energy Inspector General made mention of in his report on the break-in.
Nuclear power plants are a global trend because every country is on a quest it seems to either create a nuclear weapon or continue to develop an already existing one. Not to long ago North Korea launched missiles into the earth’s orbit and was widely condemned because it is believed by the United States that North Korea are making strides in the pursuit of a long range missile technology. If North Korea or any other country can perfect this long range missile technology they can easily launch nuclear missiles in the direction of their enemies and devastate the country and the world.
The effect that this event is having on the United States economy is both negative and positive. It is negative because the government now has to put out extra money to investigate what happened with break in at the plant as well as paying to train new security officers and retrain old officers. This is taking attention from other things such as poverty and high death rates in cities all over the country. The extra money being shelled out could be going to the police departments in high crime rate cities to help