Secretary Spencer Abraham

Speech by Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham
June 14, 2004

In a speech hosted by The Eisenhower Institute and moderated by Susan Eisenhower at the National Press Club on June 14, 2004, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham addressed the successes and challenges of the Department of Energy's nonproliferation efforts to guests from government, industry, academia and NGOs.

Secretary Abraham's message was particularly timely in light of the new Global Threat Reduction Initiative recently announced at the International Atomic Energy Agency meeting in Vienna. Abraham noted that nonproliferation efforts are at an unprecedented priority level and that existing projects are gaining momentum. Abraham also specified numerous steps the Department of Energy is taking to accelerate current nonproliferation efforts in Russia and outlined new efforts that are underway, such as the Global Partnership and the Proliferation Security Initiative.

After his speech, Abraham participated in a question and answer period in which the audience probed him on a number of nonproliferation issues. For a transcript, click here.