Reasonable doubts: foreseeing failures in WMD security

摘要

In the early morning hours, a three-person team quietly slips through the perimeter of a highly secure nuclear facility in the United States. First, they cut their way through fences equipped with intrusion detectors and video cameras. Next, they sneak 600 meters through a semi-wooded area until they are standing next to their target: a building containing hundreds of tons of highly enriched uranium (HEU). They are able to operate uninterrupted for an hour until they are confronted by a single guard. Fortunately, the Y-12 facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee-sometimes referred to as the Fort Knox of HEU-was never in any danger. These were not terrorists armed with explosives, but three geriatric antinuclear protestors armed only with hammers and a pair of bolt cutters. Subsequent investigations revealed "multiple system failures on several levels" and "troubling displays of ineptitude" in Y-12's security practices.