This article lists notable military accidents involving nuclear material. Civilian accidents are listed at
List of civilian nuclear accidents. For a general discussion of both civilian and military accidents, see
nuclear and radiation accidents
A nuclear and radiation accident is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as "an event that has led to significant consequences to people, the environment or the facility. Examples include lethal effects to individuals, lar ...
. For other lists, see
Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents.
Scope of this article
In listing military nuclear accidents, the following criteria have been adopted:
# There must be well-attested and substantial health risks associated with nuclear materials.
# To qualify as "military", the nuclear operation/material must be principally for military purposes.
# To qualify as "accident", the damage should not be intentional, unlike in
nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a theoretical military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear ...
.
This list may be incomplete due to military secrecy.
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
See also
*
1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident
On 26 September 1983, during the Cold War, the nuclear early-warning radar of the Soviet Union reported the launch of one intercontinental ballistic missile with four more missiles behind it, from bases in the United States. These missile attack ...
*
International Nuclear Event Scale
*
List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft
List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft include all types of accident and incident, including mechanical failures, pilot error and military action. They include chronological lists, lists by conflict, lists by aircraft model an ...
*
List of civilian nuclear accidents
*
Lists of disasters
The following are lists of disasters.
Natural disasters
A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the earth.
These lists are of disasters caused by forces of nature.
* List of avalanches
* List of ...
*
Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents
*
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...
*
Radiation
In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes:
* ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visi ...
*
United States military nuclear incident terminology
The United States Armed Forces uses a number of terms to define the magnitude and extent of nuclear and radiation accidents and incidents in order to reduce the time taken to report the type of incident, thus streamlining the radio communications ...
*
Vulnerability of nuclear plants to attack
The vulnerability of nuclear plants to deliberate attack is of concern in the area of nuclear safety and security. Nuclear power plants, civilian research reactors, certain naval fuel facilities, uranium enrichment plants, fuel fabrication plants, ...
Notes and references
Bibliography
Annotated bibliography from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear related Issues and Incidents* Jean-Hugues Oppel, ''Réveillez le président !'', Éditions Payot et rivages, 2007 (). The book is a fiction about the
nuclear weapons of France
The ''Force de frappe'' (French: "strike force"), or ''Force de dissuasion'' ("deterrent force") after 1961,Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p104 is the designation of what used to be a triad of a ...
; the book also contains about ten chapters on true historical incidents involving nuclear weapons and strategy (during the second half of the twentieth century).
* Nilsen, Thomas, Igor Kudrik and Alexandr Nikitin
Russian Northern Fleet: Sources of Radioactive Contamination ''Bellona Report'' 2:1996, 28. August 1996.
*
*''The Limits of Safety'' (1993, Princeton University Press) by Scott Sagan
External links
ProgettoHumus: From Trinity Test to...List of nuclear explosions in the world
ProgettoHumusList of all nuclear accidents in the history (updated)
Bibliography of military nuclear accidents from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues
* ttp://schema-root.org/technology/nuclear/power/accidents/ Schema-root.org: Nuclear Power Accidents 2 topics, both with a current news feed
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) website
with search function and electronic public reading room
International Atomic Energy Agency website
with extensive online library
Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety
Detailed articles on nuclear watchdog activities in the US
Background on ionizing radiation and doses, World Nuclear Association
World Nuclear Association is the international organization that promotes nuclear power and supports the companies that comprise the global nuclear industry. Its members come from all parts of the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium mining, ur ...
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety
More information on radiation units and doses.
Extensive, well-referenced list of radiological incidents.
A handy (if somewhat chilling) list of close calls.
list published by the Center for Defense Information
CDI
Trinity Atomic Bomb by U.S. National Atomic Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Military Nuclear Accidents
*
Lists of nuclear disasters
Nuclear
Nuclear may refer to:
Physics
Relating to the nucleus of the atom:
* Nuclear engineering
*Nuclear physics
*Nuclear power
*Nuclear reactor
*Nuclear weapon
*Nuclear medicine
*Radiation therapy
*Nuclear warfare
Mathematics
*Nuclear space
*Nuclear ...
Nuclear technology-related lists
Radioactivity