--- title: "The government is quiet about plutonium missing for the last year" date: "2020-04-29" modified: "2020-10-30" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-trending/missing-plutonium-muf/" categories: - "Military News" --- # The government is quiet about plutonium missing for the last year ![]() Two Department of Energy security experts took off to San Antonio in March, 2017. Their mission was to retrieve potentially dangerous nuclear material from a nonprofit research lab. Just to be certain they were getting the goods, they were issued radiation detectors along with a disc of plutonium and a small amount of cesium to calibrate their sensors. When these two security experts stopped for the night along the 410 beltway, they left the nuclear materials in their rented Ford SUV in a Marriott parking lot that was not in the best neighborhood. The next morning, they were surprised to find the vehicle's windows smashed in and the nuclear materials gone. The cesium and plutonium were never recovered, according to [the Center for Public Integrity](). --- For the uninitiated, plutonium is one of the most valuable substances on Earth. It's also one of few elements that will undergo nuclear fission, which is used in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. It's an extremely deadly and dangerous substance with a half-life of just over 24,000 years. One kilogram of plutonium can explode with the force of 10,000 tons of TNT. Luckily, [the Idaho National Laboratory says]() the amount stolen isn't enough to make a nuclear bomb — that requires nine pounds of uranium or seven pounds of plutonium. Something the size and weight of a kettle bell could fill the material need for a nuclear weapon. ![]() Pictured: terrorism. Cesium is an element that can be used in highly accurate atomic clocks and dirty bombs. It's one of the most active elements on Earth and explodes on contact with water. No one briefed the public, no announcement was made in the San Antonio area, and no one would say exactly how much fissile material was stolen and is currently in the hands of someone who thinks they're just holding cool pieces of metal while slowly irradiating themselves and those around them. And the military doesn't *have* to do any of that, so they don't. In fact, it happens so often there's now an acronym for it: MUF – material unaccounted for. An estimated six tons of fissile material is currently considered MUF. ![]() If there's an acronym AND a powerpoint about it, you know that sh\*t is happening all the time. The Government Accountability Office [doesn't even have a thorough record of material]() it loaned to other nuclear nations, what the status of that material is, and if their systems are rigorously inspected. At least 11 of those sites have not been visited by U.S. inspectors since before the September 11, 2001, attacks. In one instance, 45 pounds of enriched uranium — enough for five nuclear detonations — loaned from the military was listed as safely stored when it was actually gone as of 2009 and had been missing [for as long as five years](). Since 1993, the International Atomic Energy Agency tracked 270 incidents where dangerous fissile materials were trafficked [with the intent of doing harm](). ![]() "He seems totally trustworthy to me. Let's transfer our plutonium immediately." The security contracting firm who lost the equipment was given an award, government bonuses, and a renewed contract. Since the Idaho National Lab considered the amount of nuclear material stolen to be of little consequence, they closed the case. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()