Weapons theft

Risk The potential for damage to or loss of an asset. Risk, in the context of process security, is the potential for a catastrophic outcome to be realized. Examples of the catastrophic outcomes that are typically of interest include an intentional release of hazardous materials to the atmosphere, or the theft of hazardous materials that could later be used as weapons, or the contamination of hazardous materials that may later harm the public, or the economic costs of the damage or disruption of a process. 

Theft of chemicals For their eventual reuse as primary or secondary improvised weapons against a third party... 

The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 made further changes to the system. License holders are now photographed and fingerprinted and are required to comply with applicable state and local laws. Dealers must report any thefts of weapons within 48 hours and must immediately respond to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Ttibacco, and Firearms requests for firearm traces. 

Theft of fissionable materials from nuclear plants was put forward as a method by which terrorists or rogue nations could obtain materials for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. Not only would such a theft be extremely difficult and dangerous to the perpetrators, but such material would be of little use in weapons. A bomb made with plutonium derived from the U.S. nuclear power industry would require a high degree of technical expertise to construct. It would be unreliable and give low explosive yield, and no bomb made from such material has ever been detonated. 

Millions of radioactive sources exist around the world, usually distributed not only at nuclear power plants, but also medical radiotherapy facihties and industrial irradiators. Unfortunately, the radioactive materials housed in these places are often not under adequate control and are therefore susceptible to theft by terrorists.34 The appalling events of September 11, 2001, spawned a major international initiative to strengthen security for such materials and facihties worldwide. Highly toxic radionuchdes (plutonium radionuclides, 210Po or 137Cs) at trace level are increasingly being used as modern weapons to kill undesirable persons. 

While the market concept does have appeal in its simplicity and familiarity, it may not be the best conceptual approach to the problem. The market concept is used in this study because of its broad acceptance, but we will point out a number of aspects of the problem that are not well illuminated by the market concept. For example, for ideological reasons, some types of diversion may involve forced entry or theft, neither of which involves any market forces. The market concept helps to structure thinking about the problem, but it does not adequately explain a number of important pathways that terrorists or states may attempt to use to acquire sensitive information from weapons complex personnel. What is missing from the conventional market concept is a full appreciation of the barriers between supply and demand and the complicated interplay of incentives and disincentives influencing personnel who make up the supply component of the equation. 

Incident Release of hazardous material or energy Release of hazardous material or energy Theft and weaponization of hazardous material... 

The reason for this increased focus on transportation security is the fear that hazardous materials could be attractive terrorist targets due to the potential consequences resulting from an intentional release, contamination of the material in transit, or theft of the material for nse as a weapon against another target. Since the chemical indnstiy is critical to the global economy, any snccessftd attack. 

The transportation of a chemical in a limited number of small cylinders may have ranked low from a safety concern. However, this activity might be escalated for security reasons based on the potential for theft and the subsequent use of this material to produce a chemical weapon that could be mobilized and used against any number of potential targets. 

Theft of chlorine cyhnders and ton containers could result in an attack at another location using chlorine as a weapon. While both quantities could result in fatahties, ton containers were ranked as a higher consequence level. 

In addition to terrorist actions, accidents will occur as manufacturing with potent industrial chemicals becomes widespread. Although industrial compounds are not traditionally classified as chemical agents, they are lethal and potent (eg, the disaster in Bhopal, India, which is discussed later in this chapter). Poor economic conditions may also promote theft of agents and their chemical precursors and illegal transfer of weapons—not only by international brokers but also by industrial workers. 

Plans for nuclear bombs are public record. The essential component, special fissionable nuclear material, is probably not obtainable except by a nation-state or by a well-funded terrorist group with support from a nation-state. Easier, and more likely, is the theft or purchase of a small nuclear device from a nation with nuclear capability. This could be detonated or used for extortion purposes. Several hoax devices have been located by law enforcement. These devices have been purposely designed to resemble nuclear weapons. Such devices are frightening, because even to qualified personnel, externally they closely resemble small portable nuclear weapons. 

Proliferation resistance and physical protection-1 Generation IV nuclear energy systems will increase the assurance that they are a very unattractive and the least desirable route for diversion or theft of weapons-usable maferials and provide increased physical profection against acts of terrorism. 

Theft of explosive or improvised explosive device precursor (theft or diversion—EXP-EDP) chemicals, theft of weapons of mass effect (theft or diversion— WME) chemicals, and theft of chemical weapon or chemical weapon precursor (theft or diversion—CW-CWP) chemicals... 

Theft-Chemical Weapons (CWs) and Chemical Weapons Precursors (CWPs) Theft-Weapons of Mass Effect (WMEs) Theft-Explosives (EXPs) or Improvised Explosive Device Precursors (lEDPs)... 

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