Published: 1 December 03
Air & Space Power Journal - Winter 2003

Tritium on Ice: The Dangerous New Alliance of Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Power by Kenneth D. Bergeron. MIT Press (http://www-mitpress.mit.edu), Five Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142-1493, 2002, 232 pages, $24.95 (hardcover).

Since the dawn of the nuclear age, the United States has been at the forefront of international efforts to control the spread of nuclear weapons. At a time when concerns about nuclear proliferation are making headlines from Northeast Asia to the Middle East, Kenneth D. Bergeron’s new book takes a hard look at a recent policy change within the Department of Energy that departs significantly from the long-standing US practice of handling nuclear materials. The book focuses on a decision made in 1998 by Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson to end the policy of bifurcating civilian and military nuclear operations. The decision merged the production of the hydrogen isotope tritium (a material used only by the military to turn atomic nuclear weapons into hydrogen weapons) with the activities of the historically civilian nuclear plants operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

Bergeron explains how concerns about national security and safety of the facilities have long dictated that civilian and military nuclear operations be conducted separately, criticizing both the decision-making process and the ultimate decision to merge the operations. Much of his book describes how this already bad decision became worse during implementation and notes how the organization and facilities chosen to serve this new dual-role mission are the worst possible choices because of the entrenched bureaucracy at the TVA and because of the age, security, and design of the facilities themselves. According to the author, political and economic factors, intellectually disingenuous science, and the sheer force of bureaucratic inertia tainted and eventually doomed the decision-making process. The book critically details how the individuals who served as secretary of energy in the 1990s used an organization designed to create jobs in the 1930s to circumvent nonproliferation policies dating back to the 1950s.

Tritium on Ice is a must-read for the nonproliferation and energy-policy communities. The topic is timely, the science is palatable, and the clarity of the writing is exceptional. Students of current events will also find the book worthwhile and rewarding.

Capt Jay Hemphill, USAF
Edwards AFB, California

Disclaimer

The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.