German Intelligence Says Iran Is Seeking Weapons Of Mass Destrution

Iran denies that it wants to develop a nuclear bomb. AFP  

National Interest: German intelligence: Iran is seeking weapons of mass destruction  

Intelligence report says Tehran wants to source materials from Europe 

Iran is looking to develop weapons of mass destruction and source materials from Europe, a German intelligence report said. 

Tehran denies it wants a nuclear weapon and is attending talks in Vienna aimed at restoring the limits on its nuclear activity that it agreed to in 2015. 

But the report by Bavaria’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution names Iran as one of several countries, along with North Korea and Syria, seeking to develop a stock of destructive weapons. 

They are “endeavouring to expand their conventional weapons arsenals through the production, or constant modernisation, of weapons of mass destruction,” the report said. 

“In order to obtain the necessary know-how and materials, these states are trying to forge contacts with businesses in high-tech countries such as Germany.” 

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Update #1: Iran seeks production of weapons of mass destruction: German Intel Agency (Arab News) Update #2: German intelligence: Iran working to expand, upgrade its WMD arsenal (Israel Hayom)  

WNU Editor: I do not share the Kremlin's confidence .... Moscow Will Not Allow Iran to Have Nuclear Bomb Under Any Circumstances, Russian Envoy Says (Sputnik).

Who Is Responsible In Washington For Tracking Down And Securing The World's WMDs?

Radioisotope thermoelectric generators on board a US Air Force C-17, destined for disposal at the Nevada National Security Site, in 2015. USAF

The War Zone/The Drive: This Obscure DC-Area Office Helps US Special Operators Hunt Down And Secure Loose WMDs

The fusion center coordinates US military efforts to make sure the deadly weapons don't end up in the wrong hands.

As part of its new job as the lead U.S. military organization managing responses to possible crises involving weapons of mass destruction, the Pentagon’s top special operations headquarters is running a dedicated office to gather intelligence and information about these potential threats. Since President George W. Bush’s administration made the case for its invasion of Iraq, “WMDs” has become something of a dirty word, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t real concerns about hostile foreign powers and other groups getting hold such arms, including nuclear, radiological, chemical, and biological weapons.

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WNU Editor: From an organizational and coordination perspective .... this is probably one of the most difficult jobs in Washington.

U.S. Intelligence Has Added Gene Editing To Its List Of WMDs

Image: Shutterstock/isak55

MIT Technology Review: Top U.S. Intelligence Official Calls Gene Editing a WMD Threat

Easy to use. Hard to control. The intelligence community now sees CRISPR as a threat to national safety.

Genome editing is a weapon of mass destruction.

That’s according to James Clapper, U.S. director of national intelligence, who on Tuesday, in the annual worldwide threat assessment report of the U.S. intelligence community, added gene editing to a list of threats posed by “weapons of mass destruction and proliferation.”

Gene editing refers to several novel ways to alter the DNA inside living cells. The most popular method, CRISPR, has been revolutionizing scientific research, leading to novel animals and crops, and is likely to power a new generation of gene treatments for serious diseases (see “Everything You Need to Know About CRISPR’s Monster Year”).

It is gene editing’s relative ease of use that worries the U.S. intelligence community, according to the assessment. “Given the broad distribution, low cost, and accelerated pace of development of this dual-use technology, its deliberate or unintentional misuse might lead to far-reaching economic and national security implications,” the report said.

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More News On U.S. Intelligence Adding Gene Editing To Its List Of WMDs

Why Gene-Editing Technology Just Made the Government's List of WMDs -- Inc.
The US intelligence chief added gene editing to a list of threats that includes North Korea's nukes and Syria's chemical weapons -- Business Insider
Wait, Gene Editing Is a Weapon of Mass Destruction? -- Popular Mechanics
Potential, and Potential for Misuse -- Genome Web

The Threat Of Weapons Of Mass Destruction Being Used Is Growing

Alana Garellek, Cipher: The Evolution of Weapons of Mass Destruction

North Korea’s claim to have tested a hydrogen bomb earlier this month and allegations that ISIS used a mustard agent against Iraqi Kurds in August have brought some deep questions to the forefront of our national security discussion on weapons of mass destruction (WMD): Was a WMD really used? Who used it and why? How was it obtained? Will more follow? How should we respond?

Weapons of mass destruction—which include chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons—were once primarily considered strategic weapons developed by states for deterrence purposes. The WMD threat is now expanding to include new users, targets, and motivations.

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WNU editor: A growing threat with little if any public debate.

Pentagon Report: New WMD threats

Inside The Ring: New WMD Threats -- Washington Times

A Pentagon-sponsored report warns that the United States faces new threats from mass destruction weapons in the form of cyber, electronic and financial attacks, in addition to more well-known dangers from nuclear, chemical and biological WMD arms.

“In addition to the prolific conventional [weapons of mass destruction] threats posed by a vast network of state and non-state actors, the U.S. must also contend with emerging threats that are not conventionally recognized as WMD,” said the report produced last month for the office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence.

“Very few of America’s adversaries will attempt to challenge the unmatched strength of the U.S. military in a traditional conflict, but they may employ alternative asymmetric approaches.

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My Comment: A detailed look at emerging WMD threats. I still have not been able to find a pdf copy of the report .... but it looks to be an interesting read.

The Soviets Had Plans To Wage Germ Warfare With Lethal ‘Designer’ Strains

Book Details Soviet Plans To Wage Germ Warfare With Lethal ‘Designer’ Strains -- Washington Post

In the Soviet playbook for all-out war with the United States, the wasting of U.S. cities by nuclear bombs was to be followed by something equally horrifying: waves of plagues to kill any survivors. Soviet scientists spent decades preparing for the second attack, concocting new kinds of biological weapons more lethal than any ever invented.

None of these weapons were used during the Cold War, but a new book suggests that the dangers posed by the program never completely abated. The authors reveal new details about the deadly achievements of Soviet weapons scientists — from multiple-drug-resistant anthrax to “stealth” bugs that elude detection — and they say the strains probably still exist inside the freezers of military laboratories inside Russia.

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My Comment: My relatives who served in the Soviet military told me the same thing years ago .... if all-out war was to break out, their policy was to exterminate every American using everything in their arsenal .... including using biological and chemical weapons. Ronald Reagan was right .... the Soviet Union was the evil empire.

As to the question .... are these dangerous biological strains still in existence and locked up in some freezer? Let me put it this way .... I would not be surprised if they are.

Looking For WMDs And Other Weapons In Libya

An unsecured warehouse near the Khamis Brigade stores more than 100,000 antipersonnel and antivehicle mines. © 2011 Human Rights Watch

US Searches For Libyan Arms, Warns Of Terror Risk -- CBS News

(AP) WASHINGTON — The United States said Friday it has warned oil companies operating in North Africa of an al-Qaida terrorist plot possibly using shoulder-launched missiles to fire at their headquarters or planes, and government officials said the U.S. would take an increasingly active role to secure thousands of rocket launchers, mines and small arms from Moammar Gadhafi's once vast arsenal in Libya.

The U.S. Embassy in Algeria received information about the threat and quickly alerted potential targets, the State Department said in a statement. The warning highlights the urgency of the Obama administration's effort to help Libya's opposition government lock up as many weapons as possible to prevent them from fueling an insurgency or falling into the hands of al-Qaida operating across North Africa.

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More News On Securing Libya's WMDs And Weapon Depots

US sending more contractors to Libya to help secure and destroy missiles, other weapons -- Washington Post
U.S. Dispatches Weapons-Disposal Experts to Libya -- National Journal
U.S. Seeks to Renew Contacts With Libyan WMD Scientists -- Global Security Newswire
US official: Program aimed at Libyan scientists -- AP

Are Libya's WMD Stockpiles Secure?

Photo from Defense Tech

Libya's WMD Stockpiles Are Secure: Pentagon -- Defense News

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon said Aug. 24 that Libya's stockpile of chemical weapons are "secure" but that an arsenal of thousands of shoulder-launched missiles remained cause for concern.

Asked if sites containing chemical weapons, including over 10 tons of mustard gas, were safe, spokesman Col. Dave Lapan said: "Yes."

But he declined to offer more details, only saying that "clearly those are dangerous agents and weapons ... we continue to monitor that."

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My Comment: Others are voicing disagreement on the Pentagon's assessment that Libyan WMD stockpiles are secure.

The L.A. Times has a more info on U.S. concerns over Libyan WMDs and surface to air missiles may fall into the wrong hands.

What is my own take .... I am mostly worried about this.

A Weapon Of Mass Destruction Found In The U.S.?

'A Weapon Of Mass Destruction Was Found In The U.S.': Shock Confession Of Customs Officer -- The Daily Mail

A port official has admitted that a 'weapon of mass effect' has been found by 'partner agencies' in the U.S., raising major questions over a possible government cover-up.

The disturbing revelation came in an interview with San Diego's assistant port director screened by a television channel in the city.

The Customs and Border Protection Department tried to dampen speculation over his remarks, but doubts remained over whether he had inadvertently revealed a dirty bomb plot to attack the U.S. mainland.

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More News On A WMD Plot Uncovered In The U.S.

Border officials retract "weapons of mass destruction" comments -- San Francisco Examiner
Official Suggests WMD Intercepted at U.S. Entry Point -- Global Security Newswire
San Diego Official's 'Weapons of Mass Effect' Comment Raises Questions -- FOX News
'Weapon of Mass Destruction Found in U.S.': Shock Confession of Customs Officer -- FOX News
US Port Official tells ABC News Smuggled Nuclear Devices Discovered in Past -- Salem News
Dirty Bomb: Here And Now? -- Investors.com

U.S. Still Unprepared For A WMD Attack

Federal Agencies Still Unprepared For Weapons Of Mass Destruction, 9 Years After 9/11: Justice Dept -- New York Daily News

WASHINGTON - Except for the FBI, no federal law enforcement agency is ready to respond to an attack on the U.S. with weapons of mass destruction, Justice Department officials said Wednesday.

Nearly nine years after 9/11, the FBI has taken "appropriate steps" to prepare. The other agencies under the Justice umbrella were untrained and "as a whole did not have adequate policies or plans for responding to a WMD attack," said Glenn Fine, the Justice Department's inspector general.

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Update: Justice Department Still Unready for WMD Strike, Officials Say -- Global Security Newswire

My Comment: This mindset is one of denial .... i.e. it will not happen on my watch.

Getting Ready For The Day When The U.S. Experiences A WMD Attack

Image from Sense of Events

Federal Government Must Focus More On WMD Response, Official Says -- Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government must work harder to prepare for the consequences of a nuclear or biological weapon attack, a senior Homeland Security Department official said yesterday (see GSN, June 4).

While preventing a strike involving an unconventional weapon is "absolutely to be preferred, we do have to start thinking very seriously about what we would actually do the day after an attack," Tara O'Toole, the department's undersecretary for science and technology, said during an event at the University of California's Washington campus.

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My Comment: When I read reports like this one, I always wonder why are they focused on such an important issue today .... and what do they know that they are not telling us.

Hmmm .... maybe someone took the time to read this report.

More Speculation (Again) Of Iraq's WMDs Going To Syria Before The U.S. Invasion In 2003

A satellite photo of the village of Al-Baida, Syria. Photo by: DigitalGlobe

Satellite Photos Support Testimony That Iraqi WMD Went To Syria -- Pajamas Media

Ha’aretz has revived the mystery surrounding the inability to find weapons of mass destruction stockpiles in Iraq, the most commonly cited justification for Operation Iraqi Freedom and one of the most embarrassing episodes for the United States. Satellite photos of a suspicious site in Syria are providing new support for the reporting of a Syrian journalist who briefly rocked the world with his reporting that Iraq’s WMD had been sent to three sites in Syria just before the invasion commenced.

The newspaper reveals that a 200 square-kilometer area in northwestern Syria has been photographed by satellites at the request of a Western intelligence agency at least 16 times, the most recent being taken in January. The site is near Masyaf, and it has at least five installations and hidden paths leading underneath the mountains. This supports the reporting of Nizar Nayouf, an award-winning Syrian journalist who said in 2004 that his sources confirmed that Saddam Hussein’s WMDs were in Syria.

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Update: What is Assad hiding in his backyard? -- Haaretz

My Comment: I am skeptical that Iraq's WMDs found their way into Syria. Saddam Hussein trusted no one .... including Syria .... and the idea that he would hand over his most important weapons to them .... nah .... it does not pass the smell test.

Interestingly .... James Clapper .... President Obama's choice for Director Of National Intelligence .... strongly believed in 2003 that Iraq's WMDs found their way to Syria.

US WMD Teams Are Training With South Korean Soldiers In Korea

U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Walter Sharp and Hwang Eui-don, Vice Commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command answer questions about the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises known as "Key Resolve" from reporters at the Combined Forces Command headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul on Thursday.

U.S. Crack WMD Team Takes Part in Joint Exercises -- The Chosun Ilbo

A U.S. unit specializing in the removal of weapons of mass destruction from North Korea in the event of a war is taking part in this year's South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises known as "Key Resolve," according to U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Walter Sharp.

Sharp told reporters at the Combined Forces Command headquarters in Seoul the North's WMD threat is a "shared responsibility" between South Korea and the U.S. The allies will closely cooperate to locate, secure, and eliminate WMDs.

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Hat Tip: Rantburg

My Comment: Many are very worried about North Korea's nuclear stockpile .... including this person.

Los Angeles Launches WMD Screening Ship

Photo: Shipping containers fill a section of the Port of Los Angeles.
Credit: Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times

From Global Security Newswire:

A ship carrying equipment and personnel to screen the cargo of vessels entering the Long Beach and Los Angeles ports for materials that could be used in a weapon of mass destruction was launched earlier this week, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said (see GSN, Jan. 29).

The $3 million ship is manned by explosives experts and outfitted with WMD detection equipment. Vessels would have their cargo checked prior to coming into the United States' most trafficked port complex, the Associated Press reported. Vessels undergo additional screening once they arrive at the port.

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My Comment: After years of discussion and debate .... we now have this extra level of security.

Will it be successful? Considering the scope of trade and container traffic, it will probably be something like finding a needle in a haystack. Lets hope that the tech on this ship will make the odds favor us for a change.

U.N. Nations Discuss WMD Terrorism

From Global Security Newswire:

The United Nations this week conducted a three-day meeting to consider international cooperation in efforts to fight WMD terrorism, United Press International reported (see GSN, Sept. 24).

Delegates from 35 countries and 19 groups were expected to take part in the conference organized by the U.N. Security Council's 1540 Committee, the entity responsible for overseeing implementation of a 2004 Security Council resolution that requires states to take steps to prevent terrorists from acquiring chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons.

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My Comment: It is hard to believe that the UN .... with all of its dysfunctional members .... is the group that will protect us from WMD terrorism. But considering the fact that there is no one else out there .... we have to do the best with what we have.

Casey, Burr Form Senate WMD Terrorism Caucus

Image from Wikimedia

From Homeland Security:

US Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Richard Burr (R-NC) formed a Senate caucus last week to explore the threat of terrorist attacks using weapons of mass destruction.

Casey and Burr stood up the Senate Caucus on WMD Terrorism Feb. 12 to informally pool the resources and attention of a group of senators on the topic of terrorist threats posed by chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological attacks.

"There is no greater national security danger to the American people than the threat of a terrorist group destroying an American city with a nuclear weapon," Casey said in a statement Feb. 12. "We know that groups like Al Qaeda possess the motivation, and too many states around the world maintain lax security over the fissile materials essential to a nuclear weapon. "In forming this caucus, I want to establish a forum to better educate Senators on the scope of the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction and the very real policy steps we can take to mitigate this grave challenge."

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My Comment: These senators are scared. If they felt safe they would never be organizing such a caucus.

WMD Response Unit Readies For Presidential Inauguration

From DoD Buzz:

A new military unit trained and equipped for very short notice response to a large scale chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attack anywhere in the U.S. is being placed on high alert during next month’s presidential inauguration. The action is a precaution and is not in response to a specific threat or new intelligence, said Air Force Gen. Victor “Gene” Renuart, commander of U.S. Northern Command.

The unit was created when it was recognized after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that the military lacked a standing ability to respond to WMD attack. Known as the CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force, or CCMRF, the active duty unit is intended to deploy to a WMD “hot-zone” and provide a more robust response to back-up state and local level chemical and biological response teams, National Guard units and medical personnel, Renuart said, speaking to Washington based defense reporters.

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My Comment: These guys are very busy right now .... and more so next month. This is a job that must be very stressful at times.

U.S. Urged To Boost Its Nuclear Vigilance

From the L.A. Times:

A bipartisan panel cites 'growing risks' that the world will see an attack. Biological terrorism is called the greatest threat.

Reporting from Washington -- President-elect Barack Obama will probably confront a biological or nuclear attack at home or abroad if the U.S. and its allies do not act decisively to prevent it, according to a report released this week by a panel created by Congress.

The report found that the U.S. had taken important steps to counteract nuclear proliferation and, to a lesser extent, biological terrorism, but had "not kept pace with growing risks."

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Report: Prevention Of WMD Proliferation And Terrorism

WORLD AT RISK: The Report of the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism

The full report and its recommendations can be found HERE.

New Leadership Planned To Fight WMD Terrorism

From Boston.com:

WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama plans to appoint a new White House official to coordinate efforts to prevent terrorists from obtaining nuclear or biological weapons, advisers say, giving the highest priority to thwarting a catastrophic attack that a bipartisan panel warns could come in the next five years.

Naming a top deputy whose sole mission is to oversee the government's wide-ranging programs to stop such an attack would mark a significant break with the Bush administration, which in resisting such a post has maintained that US efforts to reduce nuclear stockpiles and safeguard deadly pathogens are adequate.

A law requiring the position, passed by Congress more than a year ago and signed into law by President Bush, has been ignored for more than 15 months, in part because Bush opposes giving the Senate the power to confirm the official.

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My Comment: Some of the recommendations "make sense". I expect President Obama to implement them ASAP.