NUCLEAR DETECTION
Stranger than fi ction
Dr Dave Sloggett reviews nuclear portal monitoring T
he boundary between fact and fi ction is oſt en hard to defi ne. This is especially the case when the subject matter involves anything to do
with intelligence information. When information is gleaned from a variety of sources its veracity can oſt en be hard to establish. Today, against the backdrop of an increasingly volatile international security landscape, that boundary has become even harder to defi ne. The author Tom Clancy is well known for his highly authentic and accurate writing. His books have that element of truth about them that makes the fi ction appear real. Perhaps it is the ultimate accolade for a writer when his readers actually believe his fi ction. It is quite another thing, however, when a writer is forced to issue a statement distancing him from a piece of writing. Clancy was forced to do this having published The Sum of All Fears in 1991. In the novel Clancy outlines a plot for
an extreme right-wing group to smuggle a nuclear weapon into the United States. The target is the Superbowl. In the storyline the terrorist group manages to smuggle the rather simple device through the Port of Baltimore where it is picked up and shipped to the stadium where the Superbowl is being played. A simple trigger mechanism detonates the device.
In a twist to the storyline the original nuclear material originates from Israel. The detonation of the device tips Russia and America to the edge of nuclear war as each blames the other for the attack.
Life imitating art Aſt er the events of 9/11 Clancy was so concerned that he wrote an addendum to the book outlining his concerns that the fi ction could become reality. This was a view shared by many who have subsequently documented events in the real world in the days and weeks following the 9/11 attacks. The potential for nuclear terrorism was something that haunted the darkest hours of the American political elite. Clancy’s book touched a very raw nerve. In the aſt ermath of 9/11 a vast array
of initiatives where announced by the Bush Administration to try and reduce the potential for nuclear terrorism. The revelations of the proliferation activities of the A Q Khan network, North Korea’s support to the Syrian regime in developing a nuclear reactor, and concerns over the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are among the many problematic situations which have added an additional reality check. More recently, with North Korea having conducted its third nuclear test and the Iranian nuclear programme rarely out of the news, concerns over the
potential for terrorist groups to obtain nuclear material have again surfaced. Ten years on from 9/11, al-Qaeda has not renounced its interest in obtaining nuclear weapons and the threat of nuclear terrorism still remains.
Al-Qaeda – the sequel Complacency is the terrorist’s greatest asset. As time passes, for those not directly aff ected by the worst terrorist attack in history, the collective memory will fade. Other day-to-day concerns replace those that emerged in the immediate aſt ermath. With the killing of Osama Bin Laden many senior political leaders, notably some in the Obama Administration, felt increasingly confi dent in their views that the end of al-Qaeda was imminent. US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta was one who went on the record to speak in quite defi nite terms that al-Qaeda’s core leadership was living its last days sheltering in the mountains of Pakistan. The terrorist attack on the In Amenas
gas facility in Algeria and continuing IED attacks in Syria and other confl ict areas which have all the hallmarks of al-Qaeda have resulted in much of that rhetoric being changed. One of al-Qaeda’s most active franchises proved that writing the obituary of the organisation was a risky task. In such circumstances it seems
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