Administration launches immigration crackdown
The Obama administration launched investigations of hundreds of businesses around the country Wednesday as part of its strategy to focus immigration enforcement on the employers who hire illegal workers. Click here for relevant Heritage research

North Korea test-fires 2 short-range missiles
North Korea test-fired two short-range missiles Thursday, South Korea's Defense Ministry said, a move that aggravates already high tensions following Pyongyang's recent nuclear test and U.N. sanctions imposed as punishment. Click here for relevant Heritage research

U.S. 'ready' for N. Korean missile
U.S. missile defenses are prepared to try to knock down the last stage of a Taepodong-2 missile that North Korea is expected soon to launch if sensors detect the weapon threatens U.S. territory, the commander of the U.S. Northern Command told The Washington Times. Click here for relevant Heritage research

This Week's News Updates: Cybersecurity, Public Diplomacy, Missile Defense

Issue In Depth

Proliferation of WMD's Still a Threat

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD’s) come in all shapes and sizes: in chemical, biological, nuclear or radiological form. Chemical warfare consists of two types of agents: surface and nerve. Surface agents directly affect the body surfaces they contact and nerve agents damage the nervous system. Biological weapons are extremely unpredictable and difficult to control an contain because of how quickly they spread from person-to-person. History has shown the devastating consequences of nuclear warface. Large amounts of nuclear energy in the form of electromagnetic pulse can destroy entire cities without the impact of a missile. Radiological weapons, such as the dirty bomb, kill through their initial blasts of radiation and contamination, and they are only slightly more difficult to produce than conventional bombs. The International Atomic Energy Agency reports that virtually every country has substances to make dirty bombs. View our research on this critical issue below, in this week’s Issue In Depth.


Recent Research
Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism: World At Risk: The Report of the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism: This report discusses how the US government has yet to fully adapt to the current circumstance of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction and identify specific actions against these threats. It provides 13 recommendations for Congress and the Administration.

The Heritage Foundation: Dirty secrets about dirty bombs: It's an all-too likely scenario. Terrorists detonate a "dirty" bomb, an explosive device laced with radioactive material. Hundreds die--mostly because responders won't enter the contaminated area for fear of falling victim themselves.

The Heritage Foundation: Dealing with Dirty Bombs: Plain Facts, Practical Solutions: Most assessments of America's vulnerabilities include some mention of the nation's susceptibility to attacks by radiological dispersal devices, or "dirty bombs." The threat is often portrayed as a homogenous danger, but it in fact covers a spectrum of risks, not all of which are equally serious.

The Heritage Foundation: 33 Minutes: Nuclear Bomb Effects: A dirty bomb is a potential threat for major cities in the U.S., but it is important to note that the effects of a dirty bomb are not like nuclear bomb effects. A dirty bomb is not a nuclear weapon, but rather a conventional explosive with radiological material. A more accurate description of a dirty bomb is that it is a bomb that disseminates radioactive material.

The Heritage Foundation: Facts About WMD Threats Against Washington, D.C.: Washington, D.C., is an obvious target for any potential terrorist attack, but the reality behind possible non-conventional threats might surprise many. Deterrents in place range from building codes and restricted air space to thorough policing and controlling panic.

The Heritage Foundation: Weapons of Mass Destruction: Current Nuclear Proliferation Challenges: The challenge to the national security of the United States posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and nuclear weapons in particular, along with the related challenge presented by terrorism, should be of supreme concern to Congress.

The Heritage Foundation: International Smuggling Networks: Weapons of Mass Destruction Counter proliferation Initiatives: Statement of Baker Spring Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs "International Smuggling Networks: Weapons of Mass Destruction Counterproliferation Initiatives" June, 23 2004

The Heritage Foundation: How to prevent terrorists from using weapons of mass destruction: This report puts forward recommendations that can help reduce the threat of terrorists using WMDs.

The Heritage Foundation: 33 Minutes: Weapons of Mass Destruction: This section of our 33 Minutes documentary website the growing threat weapons of mass destruction present us today.

The Heritage Foundation: Nuclear proliferation endangers world stability: During the first presidential debate in 2004, President Bush and Sen. John Kerry agreed -- as stated by the president -- that "the single, largest threat to American national security today is nuclear weapons in the hands of a terrorist network." Yet despite that consensus, the subject of weapons of mass destruction proliferation has quickly disappeared from the national agenda.

The Heritage Foundation: Worst-Case Scenario: Dealing with WMD Must Be Part of Providing for Common Defense: The Heritage Foundation's Maritime Security Working Group--composed of representatives from academia, the private sector, research institutions, and government--produces cutting-edge policy recommendations for making the seas safer for the United States, its friends and allies, and global commerce. The fourth occasional report by the group addressing the most pressing issues confronting maritime security examines the issue of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the appropriate U.S. response.

Independent Working Group: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship & the Twenty-First Century: This report provides an assessment of missile defense requirements beyond the limited ground-based system currently being deployed, together with opportunities to benefit from existing and new technological opportunities.

The Heritage Foundation: Iran's Nuclear Threat: The Day After: The Islamic Republic of Iran, which has pursued policies hostile to the United States since its founding in 1979, is now on the brink of attaining a nuclear weapons capability. U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair testified before Congress on March 10 that "We assess Iran has the scientific, technical, and industrial capacity to eventually produce nuclear weapons."