Posted on 03/26/2008 12:17:52 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The appearance of nuclear weapons materials on the black market is a growing global concern, and it is crucial that the United States reinforce its team of nuclear forensics experts and modernize its forensics tools to prepare for or respond to a possible nuclear terrorist attack.
Large quantities of nuclear materials are inadequately secured in several countries, including Russia and Pakistan. Since 1993, there have been more than 1,300 incidents of illicit trafficking of nuclear materials, including plutonium and highly enriched uranium, both of which can be used to develop an atomic bomb. And these are only the incidents we know about.
It is quite possible that a terrorist group could acquire enough nuclear material to build a bomb. Nuclear materials have been discovered by border patrols, seized in police raids from India to, as recently as last fall, Slovakia, and even hidden in a flower garden in Hanover, Germany. With enough stolen material, only a few specialists would be needed to build a nuclear weapon. After that, terrorists would lack only a truck to deliver it.
If a terrorist group were to detonate a nuclear weapon on U.S. soil, the FBI, CIA, Department of Homeland Security and the nation's national labs would race to track down those responsible and prevent any further detonations by that group.
After the Sept. 11 attacks, the time between the fall of the twin towers and our response in Afghanistan was less than one month. But current U.S. nuclear forensics capability -- which involves analyzing nuclear radiation and isotopic signatures -- can't guarantee definitive information within a month of an attack.
Fibers, fingerprints, hair samples, a truck axle -- all standard forensics clues -- would have been vaporized in the explosion. Only two primary pieces of evidence would remain: radiation and isotopic signatures.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Nuke Mecca! Ask questions later!
So you find out that the material came from Russia.
What are you going to do about it?
bkmark
The Post is writing an article about possible Nuclear terrorism, Now? What is going on? Do they think this might help Hillary?
I would say this is a gift to McCain!
Nuke four cities. Russia can’t claim duplicity any longer after last few years of not accepting fuel rods because Iran refuses to pay the processing fee. Come on, a third grader can figure out who is puppeting whom and who profits the most in the case of global economic collapse.
I imagine that depends, a whole lot, on who is our President.
> I imagine that depends, a whole lot, on who is our President.
Wise words. It is a puzzle that frightens foreigners like me, who are avidly watching your Election ‘08 with a growing sense of foreboding and abject terror.
(Yuh, that is probably a fair assessment of the overseas sentiment of those of us who are watching. That said, there is a fair amount of apathy too — there always is. That is called Denial.)
In this foreigner’s view, the sole criteria for President should be “who will make the best wartime President for the United States of America?” All other criteria are subservient to that one.
Without a whole series of good wartime Presidents, there may not be a US to have an Economy, and even the Illegal Alien issue could become moot. Sure, these issues are vitally important too, but they take on less importance if the WOT is lost and as a result several US cities glow in the dark under terrorist-detonated nuclear glass.
We watch. And some of us say “God Bless America” and fervently mean it.
I can tell you right Now IRAN
I think that, “What would you do if terrorists exploded a nuclear weapon in an American city?” should be a mandatory question for all of the presidential candidates.
It is a puzzle that frightens a lot of non-foreigners, too.
There, fixed it.
I remain extremely concerned about our ports, although I've been told we have extremely sensitive radiation detectors that screen ships from the air before they're in the harbor. The problem as I see it is that lead bricks are fairly cheap, and a ship can carry plenty of them.
Excellent point.
The first use would probably be Baghdad.
Or worse yet, you find out the materials came from Hannover...( Probably spelled wrong) What do you do then?
I think it’s a lot more likely we’ll see a dirty bomb attack as opposed to an exploding nuke.
The post has always seemed like a connected newspaper - maybe they know something. Something about a surge in nuclear material on the black market? If you start seeing other stories along the same line, it might be DTT ( duck tape time )
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.