SMR Affirmative 1AC

Military Advantage

Plan: The United States Federal Government should fund the development of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) nuclear technology for the United States military.

Our first advantage is the military

The Harms:
First, Grid Reliance
Civilian grid failures put military electricity access at risk – it provides 99 percent of their power
Andres and Breetz 2011
[Richard B. andres is Professor of national Security Strategy at the national War College and a Senior fellow and energy and environmental Security and Policy Chair in the Center for Strategic research, institute for national Strategic Studies, at the national Defense University. Hanna L. Breetz is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Political Science at the Massachusetts institute of technology. Small Nuclear Reactors for Military Installations: Capabilities, Costs, and Technological Implications, Institute for National Strategic Studies, http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf&AD=ADA545712]jap

Grid Vulnerability. … infrastructural systems.8

Second, Budget Tradeoffs
Lack of US energy security kills mission effectiveness – draws away focus from critical and strategic missions
Udall 2012
[Mark Udall, Democratic Senator from Colorado, May 22, 2012, Energy Security is National Security
http://energy.nationaljournal.com/2012/05/powering-our-military-whats-th.php]jap

No one needs to tell … they go hand in hand.

We have three impacts:
First, Military reliance on the civilian power provides an incentive for grid attack – kills military power projection AND causes nuclear war from escalatory conflicts
Andres and Breetz 2011
[Richard B. andres is Professor of national Security Strategy at the national War College and a Senior fellow and energy and environmental Security and Policy Chair in the Center for Strategic research, institute for national Strategic Studies, at the national Defense University. Hanna L. Breetz is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Political Science at the Massachusetts institute of technology. Small Nuclear Reactors for Military Installations: Capabilities, Costs, and Technological Implications, Institute for National Strategic Studies, http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf&AD=ADA545712]jap

More recently, awareness … went offline.

Second, military readiness is key to prevent extinction
Feldstein 2007
[Martin, “The underfunded Pentagon,” Foreign Affairs, March/April]jap
3
Deterring other … perhaps the reality—of the U.S. military structure

Third, US Power projection and hegemony is key to prevent numerous scenarios for global nuclear war
Kagan 2007
[Robert, Carnegie Senior Associate, “End of Dreams, Return of History” Policy Review, http://www.hoover.org/publications/policyreview/8552512.html#n10]jap

This is a good thing… involvement will provide an easier path. 

SMRs can supply power to military bases during times of crisis – deters grid attacks
Andres and Breetz 2011
[Richard B. andres is Professor of national Security Strategy at the national War College and a Senior fellow and energy and environmental Security and Policy Chair in the Center for Strategic research, institute for national Strategic Studies, at the national Defense University. Hanna L. Breetz is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Political Science at the Massachusetts institute of technology. Small Nuclear Reactors for Military Installations: Capabilities, Costs, and Technological Implications, Institute for National Strategic Studies, http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf&AD=ADA545712]jap

Unlike other alternative … or war would be greatly reduced.

SMR’s key to maintain security of power grid – solves military vulnerabilities
Baker, 6/22/2012
[Matthew, American Security Project, Do Small Modular Reactors Present a Serious Option for the Military’s Energy Needs?” http://americansecurityproject.org/blog/2012/do-small-modular-reactors-present-a-serious-option-for-the-militarys-energy-needs/ [Accessed 8/19/2012 DMW] 

SMRs are able to be … bases energy self-sufficient.

SMR key to military survivability
King, Huntzinger and Nguyen 2011
[Marcus King • LaVar Huntzinger • Thoi Nguyen, Feasibility of Nuclear Power on U.S. Military Installations, http://www.cna.org/sites/default/files/research/Nuclear%20Power%20on%20Military%20Installations%20D0023932%20A5.pdf]jap

Having a reliable source of … power independent of the commercial grid [4].

SMR AFF – Nuclear Leadership Advantage – 1AC

The Harm:
Natural gas threatens US nuclear investment – allows for other countries to take the lead on nuclear initiatives. US must step up investment before natural gas fails
Lamonica 2012
[MARTIN LAMONICA, Technology Review Correspondent, Thursday, August 9, 2012, A Glut of Natural Gas Leaves Nuclear Power Stalled, http://www.technologyreview.com/news/428737/a-glut-of-natural-gas-leaves-nuclear-power/#comments]jap

The nuclear renaissance … kid on the block called shale gas."
SMR AFF – Nuclear Leadership Advantage – 1AC

SMR development key to nuclear tech leadership – puts US at front of evolving nuclear tech
Fleischmann 2011
[Congressman Chuck Fleischmann is a conservative Republican who represents the 3rd District of Tennessee. Small Modular Reactors Could Help With U.S. Energy Needs, http://www.aps.org/publications/capitolhillquarterly/201110/backpage.cfm]jap

The timely implementation of … energy independence.

Nuclear energy leadership key to control of nonproliferation agreements, only players can change the game
Wallace and Williams 2012
(Michael Wallace and Sarah Williams “Nuclear Energy in America: Preventing its Early Demise” 2012 http://csis.org/files/publication/120417_gf_wallace_williams.pdf)

Third, in the past, the U.S… its early demise

US Nuclear power leadership solves proliferation and international nuclear accidents – increases reliance on US nuclear policies
Domenici and Miller 2012
[Senator Pete Domenici and Dr. Warren F. “Pete” Miller, former Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy | July 2012, Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Global Nuclear Energy Markets, Bipartisan Policy Center, http://bipartisanpolicy.org/sites/default/files/Leadership%20in%20Nuclear%20Energy%20Markets.pdf]jap

Strategic Goal: Continued … expand these policies.

And the impact is nuclear war
Proliferation guarantees massive nuclear escalation and war- deterrence fails
Utgoff 2002
[Victor, Institute for Defense Analyses Deputy Director, “Proliferation, Missile Defence and American Ambitions,” Survival, vol. 44, p85-102]jap

Worse still, in …or even whole nations
Solvency Page

Our last contention is the solvency page

First, DOD should install SMRs on military bases—catalyzes support for SMR and US leadership—ensures global spillover of SMR.
Loudermilk 11—Micah J. Loudermilk is a Research Associate for the Energy & Environmental Security Policy program with the Institute for National Strategic Studies at National Defense University, contracted through ASE Inc. “Small Nuclear Reactors and US Energy Security: Concepts, Capabilities, and Costs” 31 May 2011 Accessed date: 8-21-12 y2k

Problematically, despite the immense … support for nuclear energy

Second, Governmental intervention key for military SMR use – FOAK costs need to be allayed
King, Huntzinger and Nguyen 2011
[Marcus King • LaVar Huntzinger • Thoi Nguyen, Feasibility of Nuclear Power on U.S. Military Installations, http://www.cna.org/sites/default/files/research/Nuclear%20Power%20on%20Military%20Installations%20D0023932%20A5.pdf]jap

The costs associated with … elec- tricity to military installations.