Summary: Prime Minister David Cameron is set to outline his commitment to sharing best practice with international organisations on the issue of nuclear defence at the third Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands.
Mr Cameron is attending the summit to demonstrate the UK’s commitment to preventing nuclear terrorism by working closely with allies. This is the third international nuclear security summit following summits in Washington in 2010 and Seoul in 2012.
The goal of the Summit is to address the threat of nuclear terrorism by enhancing international cooperation to prevent the illicit acquisition of nuclear material by non-state actors such as terrorist groups and smugglers.
This year’s summit aims to promote action to prevent nuclear terrorism by:
– reducing the amount of dangerous nuclear material in the world
– improving the security of all nuclear material and radioactive sources
– improving international co-operation
The Prime Minister is expected to make a number of commitments in order to further tackle the threat of nuclear terrorism, including developing and sharing best practice on nuclear security, particularly in areas in which the UK is a world-leader, and increasing our support to international organisations dedicated to reducing the risk from nuclear terrorism.
His appearance at the Summit comes after the UK recommitted itself to maintaining the Trident nuclear deterrent, with a further £270m investment in the UK’s marine fleet.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: “The government is committed to maintaining our nuclear deterrent as the ultimate guarantee of the UK’s sovereignty and freedom of action against threats of nuclear aggression, wherever they may come from. Our submarine based, Continuous at sea deterrent, remains the most capable and cost-effective way of doing that.”
