Fundamental Research for Combating WMD

Abstract

This project provides for the discovery and development of fundamental knowledge and understanding by research performers drawn primarily from academia and world-class research institutions in government and industry. This leverages the Department of Defense's (DoD's) $2 billion plus annual investment in basic research by ensuring a motivation within the scientific community to conduct research benefiting weapons of mass destruction (WMD) related defense missions and by improving knowledge of research efforts that benefit nonproliferation, counter proliferation, and consequence management efforts. These efforts are closely coordinated with the DTRA’s Chemical and Biological Technologies Department initiatives which execute a chemical/biological basic research program under the DoD Chemical and Biological Defense Program. The DTRA’s research interests are coordinated with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Services’ basic research programs through the Defense Basic Research Advisory Group. DTRA reviews research interests annually to focus on technological areas which are not clearly addressed by other basic research efforts. This project supports several national and Department initiatives directly related to countering WMD including: Office of Science and Technology Policy, Nuclear Defense Research and Development Roadmap, FY 2013-2017; Defense Budget Priorities and Choices for FY 2014; Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Science and Technology Priority Steering Council Roadmap; 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance (Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense), and the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review. In general, these documents direct capability enhancements, projects, and Science and Technology (S&T) investments that support Countering WMD (CWMD) and reduce global nuclear dangers. Specifically, they include: accelerating the development of standoff radiological/nuclear detection capabilities; researching countermeasures and defenses to non-traditional agents; enhancing nuclear forensics; securing vulnerable materials; developing new verification technologies; developing an in-depth understanding of the capabilities, values, intent, and decision making of potential adversaries, whether they are states, networks, or individuals; defeating WMD agents; researching biologically-based and inspired materials for DoD applications; and leveraging science, technology, and innovation through domestic and international partnerships and agreements. Specific activities for Project RU include: Sensing and Recognition – Generation of information that provides knowledge of the presence, identity, and/or quantity of material or energy in the environment that may be significant; Network Sciences – Enhance fundamental knowledge of theory, representations, and mapping to improve the WMD-related robustness, resiliency, recovery of, and informational and operational utility associated with and derived from, complex disparate but interdependent networks; Protection Sciences – Advance knowledge for protection of personnel, resources, sensitive systems and infrastructure from WMD; Sciences to Defeat WMD – Phenomena that improves success of defeat actions (use of weapons) including explosives, accessing and defeating target WMDs, such as biological agents and weapons modeling; and Sciences to Secure WMD – Improve understanding of phenomena for verification and compliance with treaties, including test detection. Additional activities for Project RU include the discovery of revolutionary control methods to monitor and secure components, materials, and weapons, and disrupt proliferation pathways; and cooperative research with global partners – research to reduce the global threat of WMD in collaboration with a broad range of international partners. Finally, this project supports and administers the Cooperative Biological Engagement Program for academic engagements which has the core goals of securing dangerous pathogens, promoting open and active disease reporting and response, advancing transparent research to understand pathogens, and developing potential countermeasures. The decrease from FY 2014 to FY 2015 reflects a reduced effort in combating WMD basic research resulting in reductions to the number of active basic research awards. The increase from FY 2015 to FY 2016 maintains the investment in basic research to keep pace with inflation.

Document Details

• Document Type: Project
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2016
• Source ID: RU_0601000BR_1_0400_PB_2016

Entities

Organizations

• Toronto Metropolitan University

Tags

Readers

• Critical Infrastructure Protection in CBRN and WMD Threats.
• Defense Technology Research and Development.