The increasing demand for low-carbon electricity makes nuclear an attractive and reliable energy source and will be a crucial component in reaching international climate goals and maintaining global security.

If the United States does not address and overcome challenges facing the industry at home, it will find itself ceding competitiveness abroad, falling behind countries that approach nuclear technology development and deployment more strategically.

This could result in new-to-nuclear countries looking to Russia or China, rather than the United States, to acquire nuclear energy technologies. As the United States grapples with geopolitical challenges posed by growing Russian and Chinese influence, civil nuclear cooperation between the United States and its allies and partners will become even more essential. 

National Security Benefits of a Strong Domestic Nuclear Energy Sector

• A strong civil nuclear export sector creates deep and long-lasting relationships between the United States and partner nations across important areas that advance America’s national security interests including nonproliferation, nuclear safety, and physical and cyber security. We must ensure an active role in the global market for nuclear reactors, technology, and fuel to ensure that our influence over nonproliferation and nuclear safety standards is not diminished.
• International competitiveness is inextricably linked to maintaining a strong domestic nuclear program. More than six decades ago, the United States developed the modern commercial nuclear industry, which today is currently being driven by China and Russia with approximately 56 reactors under construction globally. Currently, the United States is in jeopardy of losing its leadership role, which transcends power generation—consequently missing out on a global opportunity estimated at over half a trillion dollars.
• Our nation’s nuclear power plants are among the most robust elements of U.S. critical infrastructure, offering a level of protection against natural and adversarial threats that goes far beyond most other elements of our nation’s electrical grid. The Department of Defense depends on the nation’s grid to power 99 percent of its installations, meaning large scale disruptions affect the nation’s ability to defend itself.
• Nuclear energy is by far our nation’s largest source of emissions-free generation. Carbon dioxide emissions from other forms of electricity production contribute to changes in our climate, and a changing climate has been identified by the national security community as a national security risk.