Nuclear Defense Not Just a Cold War Problem.

• Author: Fizer, Ron
• Position: Viewpoint

* The threat and consequences from nuclear or radiological events remain as real today as at any time since the advent of nuclear weapons.

The employment of a nuclear weapon would have devasting effects that include blast, thermal, electromagnetic pulse and radiological fallout. We have seen that radiological hazards can also result from natural disasters that damage nuclear power plants, such as the events from the 2014 tsunami in Japan.

While blast and thermal effects are immediate challenges, perhaps the greatest military and civil operational challenges of a radiological or nuclear event are identifying radiological hazards, monitoring potential exposure and diagnosing radiation injuries. As radiation exposure comes in many forms, including external and internal exposure to radioactive isotopes--either deposited on the skin externally or internally through inhalation or ingestion--or from external exposure to ionizing radiation energy alone, one of the most essential elements of mass casualty management is diagnosing and triage of radiation injury.

Since 9/11, comprehensive emergency planning and preparedness guidelines for management of a domestic radiological or nuclear event have been developed at the federal level.

Military and civil defense capabilities to respond to these threats have greatly advanced at both the federal, state and local level over the last several decades. However, these advancements have not kept pace with the evolving threat and operational environments.

Effective response requires enhanced detection, identification and protection technologies; improved medical countermeasures; along with repetitive training, education and exercises to ensure that local, state and federal organizations have the capabilities and proficiency to mitigate the effects of an incident.

To raise awareness, the National Defense Industrial Association's Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Division sponsored a radiological and nuclear passive defense workshop March 24.

The workshop highlighted that defense technologies are required to maintain a competitive advantage in the current and future global environment and also to effectively respond to accidental release of radiological material such as was seen during the response to the nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan.

These same capabilities would be used to respond to a nuclear event in the homeland. Contrary to many assumptions, new technologies exist to improve...