UK Govt Updates CBRN Strategy to Reduce Security Risk

Author: Defence IQ
Posted: 05/04/2010 3:13:00 PM EDT

London is gearing up for the Olympics, with work being undertaken to build infrastructure and prepare the venues. At the same time, the British government has to assess the threats to security from terrorism.

Last month, the Home Office released its report on the UK's strategy for countering international terrorism, in which it acknowledged that the 2012 Olympic Games posed a major security threat to Britain.

"The government is working on the assumption that the greatest threat to the games is international terrorism and that the threat in 2012 will be high," the report said. Ministers also admitted that there were growing concerns over an attack using chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons, warning that al-Qaida affiliates in east Africa and Saudi Arabia are gaining strength.

The government has therefore just released its Strategy for Countering Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Terrorism, as part of the overarching plan for responding to terrorist security threats, known as CONTEST.

Growing CBRN Threat

Admiral the Lord West of Spithead, parliamentary under-secretary of state for the Home Office, said in the foreword of the report that terrorist organisations aspire to use CBRN weapons.

"The availability of information on the internet, changing technology and the theft and smuggling of CBRN materials make this aspiration more realistic than it may have been in the past," he wrote.

CONTEST works on the basis of operating across four activity streams: prevent (stopping people from becoming terrorists), pursue (stopping attacks), protect (strengthening protection against an attack) and prepare (mitigating the impact of an attack when it cannot be prevented).

According to the Home Office report, multiple factors have increased the risk of terrorists using CBRN weapons and posing a threat to national security. There has been a significant increase in the trafficking of material that can be used in these weapons and the internet has made information on the technology of CBRN devices more widely available.

In addition, CBRN materials are now used for more legitimate purposes, for example in nuclear energy, medical science and biotechnology, and security around stockpiles of decommissioned military CBRN material is variable and sometimes inadequate.

With this in mind, the government is working on the four strategic objectives for CONTEST, with a number of new initiatives outlined in the report.

Security Strategy

For example, the Cabinet Office has led the development of a CBRN Intelligence Strategy, with the aim of maximising the effectiveness of various agencies' contribution to countering this global security threat through a "single mission" approach. However, they have not published details on this for security reasons.

When it comes to strengthening protection against an attack, the government is continuing with programmes to reduce the possibility of terrorists gaining access to hazardous sites through further work to improve security and awareness.

It is also continuing to install systems to detect illicit radiological material and is aiming to "design out" weaknesses in infrastructure to ensure it is resilient to attack. The public also have a very important role to play in being alert to and reporting suspicious behaviour.

The government intends to work with industry and international partners to develop improved detection techniques and equipment. It will also enhance bio-detector integration.

When it comes to mitigating the impact of the attack, training and equipping police officers and fire and rescue service decontamination units is key. The government is developing an improved protocol for the provision of timely and reliable scientific advice in a crisis for first responders and decision-makers.

Another important aspect of the government's planning is stockpiling drugs and vaccines to mitigate the effects of exposure to a CBRN attack.

Finally, international collaboration is also a key element of the strategy. The government has pledged to "continue to support the development of a truly effective global effort to counter CBRN terrorism."