About Nuclear threat
The threat of nuclear weapons is arguably the most significant danger facing the world, both in its immediate impacts and its horrific long-term ecological implications. Consequently, the threats posed by nuclear weapons have been the subject of numerous ethical discussions and debates.
The primary goal of DoD nuclear nonproliferation (NTR) efforts is to prevent the development of new nuclear weapons and the transfer of nuclear materials and technology to states not possessing them. This goal is achieved through a combination of nonproliferation treaty monitoring, arms control programs, and robust U.S. capabilities for detecting proliferation.
Terrorists may seek to obtain fissile material to fabricate a nuclear threat device (NTD), such as an improvised nuclear device, radiological dispersal or exposure devices, or a weapon acquired from one of the established nuclear weapons states that has fallen out of their control. DoD and our international partners work to reduce the risk of terrorists acquiring such materials through interagency programs that strengthen partner capacities to interdict, prosecute, and dismantle NTDs.
Explicit nuclear threats have been the default position of states with nuclear weapons for decades, and they are the foundation of deterrence. However, there is considerable debate among experts on whether such threats are actually effective. Hans Kristensen, director of the Federation of American Scientists’ Nuclear Information Project and a Bulletin contributor, and Pavel Podvig, a senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, have argued that it is important to distinguish between nuclear noise and gestures, and actual threats, and that the latter must be taken seriously, not dismissed as the equivalent of the boy who cried wolf.