An official website of the United States Government
Official websites use .gov or .mil
A .gov or .mil website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov or .mil websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov or .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Photo Credit: Pedro De La Cruz, DOD
Nuclear Forensics, not a common topic on CSI shows, but a great challenge for the DoD. A few great minds gathered recently to tackle this challenge facing the Department of Defense and Nuclear Matters. “ [What] you develop in this room will resonate beyond these walls, deterring adversaries, strengthening alliances and shaping the decisions of world leaders”, stated DASD(NM) Walter.
Read full article here.
Dr. Brandi C. Vann, Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense Programs, and representatives from the Chemical and Biological Defense Program took part in the annual U.S.-UK Bilateral Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Leadership Group (BCLG) plenary on Sept. 10 and 11 in London, UK.
Dr. Vann chaired the BCLG plenary alongside Ms. Nina Wagner, Principal Deputy to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Policy, and their UK counterparts, Mr. Gary Martin, UK Director of Operational Policy, and Rear Admiral Paul Stroude, UK Director of Capability.
The annual BCLG plenary advances National Defense Strategy and Biodefense Posture Review objectives by strengthening bilateral cooperation on CWMD activities. This year’s meeting focused on bolstering U.S.-UK military interoperability, NATO cooperation and exercises, and strengthening research and development cooperation on CWMD capabilities.
The 2024 BCLG Readout is available here.
USSOCOM users employ an Underwater X-ray Radiography system to interrogate maritime devices. |
DASD Ratz (second from right) looks on as an underwater sensor maps the radiation field and identifies sources. |
An operator uses the Viper to sample the contents of a chemical-filled munition. |
In November 2024, U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) hosted the third Research, Development, and Acquisition Experiment (RDAX) Dragon Spear in Perry, GA. The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Threat Reduction and Arms Control (TRAC) is proud to have been the primary sponsor for this event. Through direct engagement with the community of end users that develop requirements for counter weapons of mass destruction materiel solutions, RDAX fulfills an important need TRAC and other DoD technology development sponsors have for critical feedback on prototype technologies. End users assess new technologies through hands-on experimentation in realistic, threat-informed chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) scenarios. Their insights and feedback guide future development and investment decisions, ensuring that the acquisition community provides tools that are both effective and user-friendly. RDAX also fosters shared understanding between the operational and acquisition communities and serves as an opportunity for collaboration across DoD, interagency, international, and industry partners.
As a sponsor, TRAC supported event planning; informed the development of scenarios; and collected feedback on technologies it has invested in to disable and defeat chemical and biological weapons, and surveil and sense radiological and/or nuclear sources.
Following the event, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (NCB/TRAC) Ratz remarked: “As a resource sponsor, TRAC continues to see great value in partnering with USSOCOM for this important event. The experiment is an important opportunity for us and technology developers to receive feedback from operators. This allows us to see the effectiveness of the technologies we’re sponsoring and inform our future investments. This event also highlights the Department’s dedication to working with industry partners to ensure we have the capability to eliminate chemical and biological weapons, regardless of quantity, size, location, or environment, and ensure that the Joint Force has the capability to fight and operate in radiological or nuclear environments.”
ASD(NCB) Rosenblum Gives Remarks at the 58th Session of the OPCW-Conference of State Parties. November 2023. Photo from OPCW.
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological (ASD(NCB)) Deborah Rosenblum delivered the U.S. Chemical Weapons Destruction Update briefing to the 58th Session of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Conference of States Parties. ASD Rosenblum reported the 100% completion of the destruction of the declared U.S. chemical weapons stockpile, which fulfills the United States’ commitment to the CWC to destroy all declared U.S. chemical weapons. The United States completed destruction on July 7, 2023. This is the first time an international body has verified destruction of an entire category of declared Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). Ms. Rosenblum remarked: "Although our stockpile is destroyed, our commitment to the CWC remains and the work of the OPCW is not done. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of the Convention to international peace and security. Chemical weapons are abhorrent and have no legitimate place, for any purpose, anywhere in the world."
ASD Rosenblum also provided a presentation at a side event at the Conference detailing U.S. support for the elimination of Syria’s declared CW stockpile. The presentation described the mobilization and outfitting the cargo ship MV Cape Ray for destruction operations at sea using a Field Deployable Hydrolysis System (FDHS). Representatives from Albania, Germany, Panama, and the UK also presented specific case studies of CW destruction in Albania, Libya, Panama, and Russia.
ASD Rosenblum was joined by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Threat Reduction and Arms Control (DASD(TRAC)) Kingston Reif. As the DoD Treaty Manager, the ODASD(TRAC) ensures implementation and compliance with numerous U.S. treaties, including the Chemical Weapons Convention. The ODASD(TRAC) also oversees the efforts of the Chemical Demilitarization Program through the Chemical Demilitarization Directorate and development of new capabilities for the elimination of chemical weapons through the Chemical and Biological Weapons Elimination program.
U.S. Defense Leadership with Kazakh Representatives
From October 30 to November 2, 2023, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for Threat Reduction and Arms Control (TRAC) Kingston Reif and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency Director (DTRA) Rebecca Hersman traveled to the Republic of Kazakhstan for key leader engagements and site visits to commemorate 30 years of nonproliferation cooperation between DoD and Kazakhstan. The engagements included discussions with Kazakhstan’s Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Energy, National Guard, and National Nuclear Center (NNC) to commend Kazakhstan for its global leadership role in nonproliferation causes. Director Hersman signed new memoranda of understanding (MOU) with both the National Guard and NNC leadership to codify joint goals and expectations for continued nuclear security cooperation under the U.S.-Kazakhstan Umbrella Agreement. The MOUs emphasize additional training sustainment and capability development for security of the Semipalatinsk Test Site and Kazakhstan’s other nuclear infrastructure and material.
In his role overseeing the DoD Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program, DASD Reif highlighted the remarkable achievements of 30 years of nonproliferation cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Defense Department to secure nuclear material and reduce biological threats. “Kazakhstan's efforts to strengthen global nuclear security and biosecurity have made the world safer. It was an honor to see firsthand the many fruits of our partnership and discuss focus areas for continued cooperation.”
Indo-Pacific Command
Members of the Office of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Chemical and Biological Defense (ODASD(CBD)) along with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, co-chaired Tabletop Exercise ABLE RESOLVE 2023 (AR23) this September in Hawaii. AR23 prominently featured operational biosurveillance (BSV) - a critical national security priority as outlined by both the National Biodefense Strategy and the Biodefense Posture Review (BPR).
The BPR identifies BSV as critically important to future warfighting efforts. BSV will enable our warfighters to win future conflicts in chemically and biologically contested areas. Enhanced capabilities to integrate BSV relevant information from a variety of data sources, including from various sensors across areas of operations, were investigated towards increasing situational awareness and providing actionable information to all echelons of the Joint Force. This forms a common operating picture for all warfighters from the soldier to the theater commander. BSV empowers decisions to reduce risk to our soldiers, allowing early awareness of biological incidents and contaminated areas to avoid, helping us better understand if exposure to a harmful substance has occurred, and warning military and civilians to don personal protective equipment. All of which inform decision-makers of events as they unfold so they can achieve mission objectives.
AR23 produced many outcomes, including a commitment to future development of coordinated BSV within the Indo-Pacific region. This includes identifying gaps among critical personnel, processes, and capabilities, which are necessary to anticipate, recognize, monitor, and mitigate the effects of chemical and biological incidents on military operations. Thanks to conversations about enhanced BSV, the DoD will be better prepared to respond to incidents in the Indo-Pacific.
