A Study on the Electromagnetic Susceptibility of Improvised Explosive Devices (original) (raw)

An assessment of the terrorist threat to use a nuclear or radiological device in an attack

International Journal of Nuclear Law

This paper will discuss terrorism from the perspective of a terrorist organization acquiring nuclear material to build weapons and how security of radiological material world wide will minimize the risk of such devices being used. It will discuss the need to improve security at nuclear waste processing and storage sites and the adequacy of current security. It will also discuss the phenomenon of suicide attacks by the bomb carriers and the role of the media in informing and educating the general public of the consequences should such a device containing nuclear material be detonated. Keywords: dirty bomb; education; first responders; media; nuclear material; radiological device; terrorism; threat assessment.

Nuclear Terrorism: Bogeyman or Real Threat?

2014

In early July 2013, Vienna hosted an international conference on nuclear security that culminated in a declaration stating that IAEA countries “remain concerned about the threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism and of other malicious acts or sabotage related to facilities and activities involving nuclear and other radioactive material”. Despite the substantial progress made in recent years in strengthening nuclear security worldwide, the document notes, more needs to be done in this field. The declaration suggests that numerous states need to pay greater attention to the threat of nuclear terrorism, which shows no signs of going away, and instead is only becoming more tangible.

The Threat of Megaterrorism: Availability, Inhibitors and Motovation

The prospect of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) terrorism poses a danger for contemporary societies. However, the incidents related to an application of weapons of mass destruction (that is, nuclear, chemical, biological and radiological weapons) by non-state actors are relatively rare. Th e aim of the paper is to present recent incidents and to estimate the threat from particular types of WMD. Th e author focuses both on the question of motivation to undertake these operations and on the problem of technological capabilities. To sum up, the risk of a massive WMD terrorist attack should be perceived as quite moderate due to the technological barrier, but selective attacks carry a greater potential risk because of their higher probability and signifi cant psychological eff ect.