The nuclear threat poses an existential risk to humanity. The use of even a single nuclear weapon in or near populated areas would result in catastrophic consequences, including massive casualties and incalculable suffering. Such a catastrophe would have profound impacts on human health, the environment, climate, food production and socio-economic development worldwide. The devastation witnessed in Hiroshima and Naga eighty years ago is a powerful reminder of the need for the immediate elimination of all weapons of mass destruction.
As a consequence, the goal of DoD nuclear nonproliferation (NT) efforts is to prevent the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction by state and non-state actors. For nation-states, this goal is achieved primarily through strategic deterrence. For non-state actors, the goal is to prevent terrorists and violent extremist organizations from obtaining nuclear weapons or radiological materials.
To accomplish this goal, DoD programs are focused on detecting illicit activities related to the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) supply chain. This includes detecting and intercepting the nuclear weapons-grade material, equipment, and technology that terrorists and other non-state actors could use to manufacture a nuclear device or radiological attack.
A nuclear detonation releases a pulse of electromagnetic radiation – an EMP – that can affect hundreds of miles around the point of impact. This can disrupt, or render inoperative, critical technologies such as electric grids, satellite navigation systems, car management systems, and communication networks. The EMP also produces a bright flash that can blind someone who is looking directly at it from several miles away.