Detection Technology in the 21st Century: The Case of Nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction

摘要

From the time of the first nuclear detonation by the Soviets after World War II until the fall of the USSR and the declaration of victory in the Cold War, it has been nuclear WMD that have held the spotlight in American foreign policy WMD were briefly placed on the back burner as the nation enjoyed its 'peace dividend' at the end of the century The events of September II, 2001, were a wakeup call to America about the reality of the New World Order Unlike the Cold War period, in which the primary threat was a massive Soviet nuclear attack or annihilation from an escalating war between nation-states, the post- Cold War era has been marked by the rise in the number of rogue states, failing states, and the emergence of non-state actors with both the means and desire to acquire and use WMD. Overcoming these challenges has become the center of American force planning and military strategy What has become clear in all of these changes over the last decade is that proliferation and deterrence have increased in importance as strategic issues in the security paradigm The two pillars of American deterrence policies, retaliation and denial, rely on the ability to detect the presence of nuclear material and attribute it to a particular ongoing In the new strategic environment, this ability has become the cornerstone of deterrence This paper will discuss the current and emerging technologies that make possible the direct detection of nuclear and radiological materials or devices that might become, or are already part of a WMD It will also put forth recommendations for the future direction of development that will best accomplish the strategy stated above.