“There is a pressing need in international security policy to better understand the future landscape of radiological and nuclear (RN) dangers and how best to target resources to affect their reduction. The highly dynamic nature of the global geopolitical, social and technological environments means that there are many potential forces that might influence the magnitude of current RN dangers, especially those emanating from non-state actors like terrorists.” – START's RGND report
The Unconventional Weapon and Technology Division (UWT) integrates a portfolio of research projects seeking to provide actionable knowledge about chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) and other emerging technology threats emanating from non-state actors. The cutting-edge research presented below addresses the radiological and nuclear threat and focuses on the behavioral elements of terrorism involving the use of unconventional weapons. This suite of projects is intended to better inform the larger policy and practitioner communities working in this complex issue.
Featured Items:
- The Terror-Crime Nexus & Chemical, Biuological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Threats (Online Course)
- Not Secure Enough (Op-Ed)
- Reducing Global Nuclear Danger (RGND) (Final Report) - coming soon
Research Portfolio |
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Global Nuclear Detection Architecture: A Study of South Asia |
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Mobile Radiation Detectors: Threat Perception and Device Acceptance |
| New Analytical Methods for the Exploitation of Open-Source Structured Databases to Enhance |
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Organized and/or Transnational Crime/Drug Cartel Nexus with Illicit Radiological/Nuclear Trade, Smuggling and/or Terrorism in Europe and North, Sahelian and West Africa |
| Terrorists and Sophisticated Criminal Events Data Collection Project-Africa and Europe |
| Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) Process |
Data and Tools
Nuclear Facilities Attack Database (NuFAD)
Radiological and Nuclear Non-state Actor Database (RANNSAD)
Radiological/Nuclear Detection Capability Development Framework (CDF) Mapping Tool
Transnational Illicit Trafficking (TransIT) Geospatial Tool
Research Team
START Headquarters Researchers: Gary Ackerman Brandon Behlendorf Markus Binder Salma Bouziani Marcus Boyd Cory Davenport Michael Egnoto James Halverson Michelle Jacome Mila Johns Gary LaFree Brooke Fisher Liu Gabrielle Matuzsan Amy Pate Holly Roberts John Sawyer Steve Sin Daniel Smith Herbert Tinsley Jonathan Wilkenfeld
Consortium Researchers: Victor Asal Jeffrey Bale Ronald Breiger Laura Dugan Emily Iarocci Sharad Joshi Brinton Milward Elizabeth Petrun Sayers R. Karl Rethemeyer Tara Kirk Sell Sarah Spalding Joseph Young