Navigating a Shifting Nuclear Landscape from Energy to Defense

The nuclear sector is undergoing unprecedented transformation across both civilian and military domains. On the civilian side, countries and industries are exploring nuclear energy in a push to decarbonize, especially as conflicts from Ukraine to Africa are disrupting the global supply of nuclear fuel. The recent U.S. ban on enriched uranium from Russia is further accelerating the search for other sources for nuclear fuel and technology. At the same time, ambitious climate goals and energy security concerns are driving innovations in reactor types, designs, and fuels, which are challenging existing regulations and creating the need for new supply lines.

In contrast, on the military side, all nine nations with nuclear weapons are rapidly modernizing and expanding their nuclear arsenals. The United States alone is spending $1.7 trillion to develop new nuclear warheads and a whole new generation of strategic and tactical nuclear weapons. These developments could disrupt the current international deterrence paradigm. While the civilian nuclear market is evolving toward a more multipolar structure with diverse hubs of innovation, the military sphere is increasingly defined by intensified competition and the return of the old Cold War mindset of “us vs. them”.

Host or Publisher The Stimson Center