NTI Index Foreword by Christine E. Wormuth

Right now, somewhere in the world, nuclear material is sitting in a facility whose security systems have not been sufficiently tested, whose employees are not adequately trained in insider threat protocols, or whose government has not yet joined the international agreements designed to protect it. In the wrong hands, even a small amount of highly enriched uranium or plutonium could be fashioned into a weapon capable of devastating many lives—and even upending the global order. The gap between nuclear material being secured and harnessed responsibly or left vulnerable to threats and weaponization is a matter of political will. Incentivizing governments to close that gap is the animating concern of the 2026 NTI Nuclear Security Index (NTI Index).

This seventh edition of the NTI Index arrives at a moment when the global ambition to expand nuclear energy is increasing and novel threats to nuclear facilities are growing, but the political will to sustain nuclear security is eroding and uneven. This trend is most apparent in the overall scores of Russia and the United States, the countries that bear the greatest responsibility for global nuclear security as the custodians of the vast majority of the world’s weapons-usable nuclear materials. The NTI Index captures precipitous drops in both countries’ overall scores. The United States’ score, in particular, has declined more steeply than the NTI Index has ever recorded for any country or area. The data point to a historic lapse in nuclear security leadership in these countries at a moment when nuclear dangers are rising.

Geopolitical rivalry is undermining the bilateral and multilateral nuclear security frameworks that have been central to reducing nuclear risks. The demands of securing nuclear facilities in an environment of constantly evolving threats are straining even the most capable governments. Commitments from new countries to pursue nuclear energy as a source of clean, reliable energy will test the security frameworks and regulatory capacities critical to protecting these facilities and the materials within them. These are not easy circumstances to navigate. The work of implementing nuclear security remains critically important.

Despite the challenges, a handful of countries are demonstrating that it is still possible to build political will for nuclear security and make meaningful progress. This group—Australia, Canada, Finland, Ghana, Hungary, Japan, Jordan, the Netherlands, Senegal, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom—is prioritizing leader-level engagement with international institutions and government partners, strengthening national nuclear security frameworks, and reinforcing fundamental nuclear security laws and norms. Their example affirms that all governments can—and must—contribute to strengthening global nuclear security. When governments choose to engage, the international frameworks underpinning nuclear security can still work.

The 2027 Review Conference of the Amended Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) represents the most significant opportunity in years to strengthen global nuclear security. The Amended CPPNM binds states to implement security measures for civilian nuclear materials and facilities—yet too many countries have still not joined, and implementation among those that have is uneven. The upcoming review conference is a moment for governments to act on both fronts. By providing a rigorous, data-driven accounting of where 176 countries and areas stand and what steps remain for them to take, the NTI Index provides a clear checklist of who should prioritize what to make the review conference a success.

After 14 years, NTI continues to produce new editions of the NTI Index because we have seen its power to guide governments toward policies and actions that make the world safer. This year, the data on Russia and the United States reveal a concerning lack of commitment to maintaining nuclear security. At the same time, we are heartened by the emergence of a set of nations who are demonstrating that building the necessary political will for nuclear security remains possible. NTI is steadfast in our commitment to turning that political will into tangible progress around the world. Join us—we all have a role to play.