ABSTRACT
In its 2018 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), the United States sets out its program to modernize its nuclear arsenal and nuclear weapons complex in response to what it sees as increasing threats from Russia, China and North Korea. Fifty States signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) must complete their ratification processes to bring the Treaty into force. The Parties must then decide on the verification framework. The TPNW Parties should consider additional measures to encourage the nuclear-armed States to participate. Treaties and agreements between adversaries provide the most common means used to move from confrontation to hostility. The Nuclear Suppliers Group and the Zangger Committee regulate commerce in materials, facilities, equipment, and know-how within the non-proliferation regime. Every nuclear weapon which includes fusion energy will require deuterium, tritium and for thermonuclear weapons, enriched lithium.
