Countering Nuclear And Radiological Terrorism

Sinc the dissolution of the Soviet Union the nuclear threats facing the world are complex and constantly evolving.This volume is structured to promote wide-ranging, multi-national exploration of critical technology needs and underlying scientific challenges to reducing the threat of nuclear/radiological terrorism; to illustrate through country-specific presentations how resulting technologies were used in national programs; and to outline the role of legal, policy and institutional frameworks in countering nuclear/radiological terrorism.

This volume aims to improve understanding of nuclear security and the prevention of nuclear terrorism. Nuclear terrorism is perceived as one of the most immediate and extreme threats to global security today. While the international community has made important progress in securing fissile material, there are still important steps to be made with nearly 2,000 metric tons of weapons-usable nuclear material spread around the globe. The volume addresses this complex phenomenon through an interdisciplinary approach: legal, criminal, technical, diplomatic, cultural, economic, and political. Despite this cross-disciplinary approach, however, the chapters are all linked by the overarching aim of enhancing knowledge of nuclear security and the prevention of nuclear terrorism. The volume aims to do this by investigating the different types of nuclear terrorism, and subsequently discussing the potential means to prevent these malicious acts. In addition, there is a discussion of the nuclear security regime, in general, and an important examination of both its strengths and weaknesses. In summary, the book aims to extend the societal and political debate about the threat of nuclear terrorism. This book will be of much interest to students of nuclear proliferation, nuclear governance, terrorism studies, international organizations, and security studies in general.

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union the nuclear threats facing the world are constantly evolving and have grown more complex since the end of the Cold War. The diversion of complete weapon systems or nuclear material to rogue nations and terrorist organizations has increased. The events of the past years have proved the necessity to reevaluate these threats on a level never before considered. In recognition that no single country possesses all of the answers to the critical scientific, institutional and legal questions associated with combating nuclear and radiological terrorism, the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on “Preparedness for Nuclear and Radiological Threats” and this proceeding was structured to promote wide-ranging, multi-national exploration of critical technology needs and underlying scientific challenges to reducing the threat of nuclear/radiological terrorism; to illustrate through country-specific presentations how resulting technologies were used in national programs; and to outline the role of legal, policy and institutional frameworks in countering nuclear/ radiological terrorism. One key outcome of this book is better understanding of the interdependent contributions from across the international community of the scientific and technological components and the legal, policy and institutional components to combating nuclear and radiological threats.

A number of recent studies have concluded that the United States is vulnerable to attack from terrorists armed with weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Depending on the circumstances, a terrorist attack with nuclear or radiological weapons could cause more destruction and casualties than one with other types of WMD. Four strategies for improving U.S. capabilities to counter nuclear or radiological terrorism are often proposed: (1) to improve intelligence capabilities to gain better knowledge of terrorist intentions and capabilities; (2) to improve security measures in nuclear facilities throughout the former Soviet Union (FSU) and elsewhere, so terrorists will have more difficulty acquiring nuclear materials; (3) to deter terrorists from conducting nuclear or radiological attacks, particularly in the United States; and (4) to improve America's response capabilities to terrorists that have already acquired nuclear or radiological weapons. This thesis evaluates current U.S. capabilities and activities in each of these areas and provides recommendations for improving America's counter-terrorism strategies to defend against terrorists armed with nuclear or radiological weapons.

The United States currently lacks a comprehensive strategy for countering the threat of terrorism involving nuclear, radiological, chemical, and-most glaringly -- biological weapons. Although federal, state, and local governments have made impressive strides to prepare for terrorism involving these weapons, the whole remains less than the sum of the parts. As a result, the United States is now at a crossroads. Although credit must be given where due, the time has come for a cold-eyed assessment and evaluation based on program reviews and other measures of effectiveness. This report offers such an assessment, providing a road map of near- and long-term priorities for senior federal officials to marshal federal, state, local, private sector, and nongovernmental resources for defending the U.S. homeland against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) terrorism.

This book discusses multiple aspects of radiological and nuclear terrorism. Do you know what to do if there is a radiological or nuclear emergency in your city? These accidents are not common, but they have happened – and even though we have not seen an attack using these weapons, governments around the world are making plans for how to prevent them – and for how to respond if necessary. Whether you are an emergency responder, a medical caregiver, a public health official – even a member of the public wanting to know how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe – there is a need to understand how these weapons work, how radiation affects our health, how to stop an attack from taking place, how to respond appropriately in the event of an emergency, and much more. Unfortunately, the knowledge that is needed to accomplish all of this is lacking at all levels of society and government. In this book, Dr. Andrew Karam, an internationally respected expert in radiation safety and multiple aspects of radiological and nuclear emergencies, discusses how these weapons work and what they can do, how they can affect our health, how to keep yourself safe, and how to react appropriately whether you are a police officer investigating a suspect radiological weapon, a firefighter responding to a radiological or nuclear attack, a nurse or physician caring for potentially contaminated patients, or a governmental official trying to keep the public safe. To do this, he draws upon his extensive experience in the military, the several years he worked directly with emergency responders, his service on a number of advisory committees, and multiple trips overseas in the aftermath of the Fukushima accident and on behalf of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Interpol, and the Health Physics Society.

A terrorist¿s use of a radiological dispersal device (RDD) or improvised nuclear device (IND) to release radioactive materials (RM) into the environ. could have devastating consequences. This testimony examines: (1) the extent to which fed. agencies are planning to fulfill their responsibilities to assist cities and their states in cleaning up areas contaminated with RM from RDD and IND incidents; (2) what is known about the fed. government¿s capability to effectively cleanup areas contaminated with RM from RDD and IND incidents; and (3) suggestions from gov¿t. emerg. mgmt. officials on ways to improve fed. preparedness to provide assistance to recover from RDD and IND incidents. Also discusses the situation in the United Kingdom.

Combating Nuclear Terrorism: Preliminary Observations on Preparedness to Recover from Possible Attacks Using Radiological or Nuclear Materials