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Guest Commentary April 6, 2002
Dirty Bombs and Basement Nukes: The Terrorist Nuclear Threat
The Honorable Joseph Biden
I have long believed and felt – and have attempted to raise the alarm – about the risk of terrorism with weapons of mass destruction. September 11 introduced the possibility of terrorists prepared to give their lives in undertaking their activities. The ante is raised by that; we now face potentially more dangerous avenues of attack, such as the use of radiological weapons. We had thought that extremely radioactive sources were "self-protecting." We had thought that no terrorist would use them because his own death was guaranteed by exposure to the radiation they emit.
We now know that’s not true. Today there’s a new reality. Today we know that radiological and nuclear attacks on the United States are not only possible, but there are enough screwballs out there willing to risk or even give their lives to use them against the United States.
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We know such attacks would be terribly devastating. And today we realize that there are those who would literally die to use them.
If a dirty bomb were to be detonated in the center of Washington, or if a can of highly radioactive powder were emptied from a rooftop, it could kill dozens – it would not be the catastrophic event that many might think it would be, but it would have a catastrophic psychological effect on the United States. Even worse, it would so contaminate part of the city that we'd have to evacuate and perhaps demolish a number of buildings. The economic impact could be devastating.
One of the things we have to look at as policy makers is what is the most likely devastation that could be rained on the United States. Should we spend up a hundred billion dollars to a quarter trillion dollars for a national missile defense system while the Pentagon, as well as many others, believes the least likely threat we face is from an ICBM missile? It is a real threat, it is a possibility, but it is not the most likely possibility.
I have argued for a long time that the single most urgent threat we face is the access that potential terrorists have to fissile material and knowledge and scientific capability that resides in what I refer to as the candy store for terrorists, and that is Russia.
The good news is Russia wants to cooperate, it wants to inventory and wants us to help account for and secure nuclear weapons and fissile material. I just want us to look realistically at the threat and to make some realistic decisions based on priorities and limited resources after we have heard all the evidence.
We once thought it would be virtually impossible for anyone to have the money, the means, and the motive to build his own nuclear explosive device, and the will to use it. But just last month, according to press reports, our Special Forces found pamphlets and manuals on nuclear weapons in Al Qaeda safe houses.
We've learned of Al Qaeda's dealings on the black market for nuclear materials. Whether they've been successful is doubtful, but TIME Magazine, [March 11, 2002], reported an alleged plot to bring a nuclear device into New York.
September 11th vividly showed us the kind of hatred we face, the kind of people who – were they to get their hands on such weapons – would have no hesitation to kill Americans.
We have a new perspective – in many ways, a more realistic perspective. We see the clear and present danger and we understand the threats that exist. We also understand that we must address these threats.
Joseph Biden, a Democrat, is a U.S. Senator from Delaware. The above commentary has been adapted from a statement Sen. Biden delivered at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, March 6, 2002. To contact him, Click Here.
The above column has been distributed by PoliticsOL.com.
