Tag: nuclear

Featured article: The Interagency’s “WMD” Terminology Problem by Alexi Franklin The terms “weapons of mass destruction (WMD),” “chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN),” and “chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE)” are found throughout the interagency, and they are treated essentially as synonyms. In important ways, however, these terms highlight differences with both conceptual and […]

Featured article: Reassessing the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Response Enterprise  by Gary D. Mills We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. —Dwight D. Eisenhower During the last nine months, citizens throughout the world have observed momentous events that have added to a tumultuous global environment. Internationally, the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan, […]

Featured article: Nuclear Terrorism – Imminent Threat? by Brendan G. Melley The 2015 National Security Strategy of the United States stated that “No threat poses as grave a danger to our security and well-being as the potential use of nuclear weapons and materials by irresponsible states or terrorists.” On March 25, 2014, in The Hague, […]

Earlier this month the New York Times published a piece detailing how hackers have been targeting the computer networks of nuclear power stations, energy facilities, and manufacturing plants. The revelation came from a joint report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and was confirmed by security specialists who responded to […]

Featured article: Kinetic Energy Weapons: The Beginning of an Interagency Challenge by Daniel C. Sproull In 1948, the UN Commission for Conventional Armaments defined weapons of mass destruction (WMD) as “…atomic explosive weapons, radioactive material weapons, lethal chemical and biological weapons, and any weapons developed in the future which have characteristics comparable in destructive effect […]

Featured article: Plutonium and Picasso – A Typology of Nuclear and Fine Art Smuggling by Joshua D. Foss The global security environment continues to evolve. Globalization, advances in technology, and greater connectedness of people and economies have enabled transnational organized crime and new and existing illicit markets to expand. Never has the prolific and rapid dissemination of technology and information […]

Featured article: Importing Nuclear Weapons Through the Selectively-Permeable Border of the United States by William T. Eckles The health of the U.S. parallels the health of a living organism. The body needs and seeks beneficial substances and interactions. The skin, lungs, and digestive tract of an organism are like the border. Food and gasses must freely enter […]

Featured article: Additive Manufacturing: Implications for the Interagency’s Nuclear Counterproliferation Tasks by John W. Andrews The emerging technology of additive manufacturing (AM) is rapidly revolutionizing the world of industry. Additive manufacturing enables the layering of materials, using precise, computer-controlled machines, to quickly build objects with complex shapes at low cost. Indeed, AM promises to produce things that, […]

Last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced that the U.S. would conduct a “comprehensive review” of it policy toward Iran. The interagency review will assess whether sanctions suspensions related to the deal are vital to U.S. security interests. Tillerson noted that while Iran is in compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, the U.S. may break […]

National Security Women’s Rights Are a National Security Issue, The New York Times Special Operations Command takes a lead role in countering weapons of mass destruction, The Washington Post Trump and Pentagon nominee James Mattis don’t appear to see eye-to-eye on nuclear weapons, The Washington Post Terrorism Financing Task Force Releases Results of Two-Year Investigation, […]