Recent terrorist attacks demonstrated that even sophisticated terrorists capable of planning and executing multiple, coordinated attacks continue to rely on traditional weapons rather than risk the uncertainty of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) weapons. While some terrorist organizations have the motivations and capabilities to conduct large attacks worldwide, we have not y...

BACKGROUND Numerous studies have suggested that emergency medical services (EMS) providers are ill-prepared in the areas of training and equipment for response to events due to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and other public health emergencies (epidemics, etc.). METHODS A nationally representative sample of basic and paramedic EMS providers in the United States was surveyed to assess wheth...

AIM To provide an up-to-date overview on the role of Brucella as a possible biological (B-) agent to be used in biological warfare, biological crimes and biological terrorism (with special respect to agroterrorism) scenarios. METHODS An analysis of current literature and of Internet-based sources was made. RESULTS Brucella spp. have always been in the focus of military decision. The main re...

R RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of its research sponsors. Preface This essay was prepared for a project sponsored by the Office of Research and Development, Central Intelligence Agency, on the decisionmaking of leaders in states that may be obtaining or using weapon...

In the present issue of Critical Care, an article by Okumura and colleagues has been published on the problem of secondary contamination following chemical agent release [1]. The authors' draw on first-hand experience [2–5] of the secondary contamination experienced during the Tokyo sarin release in 1995. This experience is important, both for the care of contaminated patients and for the safet...

Benjamin Heath is a second-year graduate student at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. As a graduate research assistant at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Heath focuses on domestic preparedness issues within the Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism Project. Within the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Project, Heath researches and analyzes the chemical and...

echnologies to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by rogue governments and international terrorist organizations are a top national priority. One of the top development requirements is for highly sensitive and specific detection technologies for biological warfare agents. This article describes the development of sensors for field detection of weapons of mass destruction u...

Though the majority of physicists would probably not support preemptive wars, nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction would not exist without their contributions. Einstein’s anti-militaristic position has been well-documented and the present essay recalls the role of some contemporary and past physicists on this issue. The idea that the rationality of scientific thought is a reliable anti...

Recent allegations that Russian firms are aiding missile programs in Iran and India have renewed fears that sensitive technology is leaking to countries of proliferation concern from the economically strapped Russian missile industry. Pessimists argue that the leakage of Russian technology could greatly reduce the time needed by potential proliferants to develop mediumand longer-range missiles ...

When do elections induce politicians to act as delegates, and when do they induce them to act as trustees? To answer this question, we develop a model of political accountability in which politicians vary in both their policy preferences and their competence. We show that elections are more likely to induce politicians to behave as trustees when uncertainty about incumbent policy preferences is...