What's happening at the coalition

On October 16, 2026, members of the NENSC Expert Council and additional senior experts sent a letter to the leadership of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs urging Congress to support the Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (“Section 123” agreement) between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Copies of the letter were shared with the full membership of both committees.

The signatories are former senior U.S. officials with decades of experience in nuclear security and nonproliferation. They conclude that the agreement satisfies all requirements of U.S. law, builds strong barriers against the diversion of civil nuclear technology to military use, and provides the basis for a multi-decade strategic relationship centered on energy security and nonproliferation.

Jay Tilden, NENSC's Executive Director, has published a new piece on the proposed U.S.–Saudi civil nuclear cooperation agreement. Jay argues that judging the deal against the 2009 U.S.–UAE "gold standard" gets the calculus backwards — that standard was never on the table with Riyadh, and holding to it anyway doesn't strengthen nonproliferation, it just cedes the field to potential competitors like Russia and China. The real test, he writes, is what Congress finds once the actual text is public, and NENSC stands ready to help evaluate it on the merits.

In an August 6 New York Times opinion piece, NENSC Co-Chair and former Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman argues that critics of the U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear agreement have the strategic calculus backward. Poneman makes the case that U.S. engagement gives Washington greater leverage to advance rigorous nonproliferation, safety, and security standards while preserving American strategic and commercial influence. Walking away, he argues, could instead leave Russia or China better positioned to shape Saudi Arabia’s nuclear program.