Defense Threat Reduction Agency
Encyclopedia
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (or DTRA) is an agency within the United States Department of Defense
and is the official Combat Support Agency for countering weapons of mass destruction
(chemical
, biological
, radiological
, nuclear
, and high explosives). DTRA's main functions are threat reduction, threat control, combat support, and technology development. The agency is headquartered in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. DTRA employs 2,000 civilian and military personnel at more than 14 locations around the world, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Ukraine.
DTRA was established in 1998 by consolidating several DoD organizations, including the Defense Special Weapons Agency (successor to the Defense Nuclear Agency) and the On-Site Inspection Agency as a result of the 1997 Defense Reform Initiative.
In 2005, the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) made the decision to designate the Commander, U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) as the lead Combatant Command (COCOM) for the integration and synchronization of DoD’s Combating WMD (CWMD) efforts in support of U.S. Government objectives. To fill this requirement, the USSTRATCOM Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction (SCC-WMD) was collocated with DTRA.
Annual published budgetary figures are $346MM (FY 2008), $354MM (FY 2009), and $385 (est. for FY 2010).
DTRA's vision is "to make the world safer by reducing the threat of weapons of mass destruction
."
After the end of the Cold War
, DTRA and its predecessor agencies have implemented the DoD aspects of several treaties that assist former Eastern Bloc
countries in the destruction of Soviet era nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons sites (such as missile silos and plutonium
production facilities) in an attempt to avert potential weapons proliferation in the post-Soviet era as part of the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction
(CTR) program.
DTRA is also responsible for reducing the threat of conventional war
, especially in Europe
, by participating in various arms control
treaties to which the United States is a party, such as the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty
and the Treaty on Open Skies
.
In 2002, DTRA published a detailed history of its predecessor agencies, Defense’s Nuclear Agency, 1947–1997, which is in the public domain. The first paragraph of the preface makes the following brief statement about the agencies which led up to the formation of DTRA.
On January 26, 2006, the director of DTRA was given the extra responsibility of the director of the USSTRATCOM Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction
(SCC WMD), a subordinate component to the United States Strategic Command
(USSTRATCOM).
DTRA has the responsibility to manage and integrate the Department of Defense chemical and biological defense science and technology (S&T) programs. In accordance with the Recommendation 174 (h) of the 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC), the Chemical Biological Defense Research component of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency is to be re-located to Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD by September 30, 2011. DTRA plans to build space for 15 personnel at Aberdeen Proving Ground. This represents a move of about ten percent of the staff of the Chemical Biological Defense Research component of DTRA to Aberdeen Proving Ground; the rest of the staff remain at Fort Belvoir.
'The Shield' is the official magazine of the DTRA SCC-WMD; printed quarterly.
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
and is the official Combat Support Agency for countering weapons of mass destruction
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
(chemical
Chemical warfare
Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
, biological
Biological warfare
Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
, radiological
Radiological weapon
A radiological weapon or radiological dispersion device is any weapon that is designed to spread radioactive material with the intent to kill, and cause disruption upon a city or nation....
, nuclear
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
, and high explosives). DTRA's main functions are threat reduction, threat control, combat support, and technology development. The agency is headquartered in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. DTRA employs 2,000 civilian and military personnel at more than 14 locations around the world, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Ukraine.
DTRA was established in 1998 by consolidating several DoD organizations, including the Defense Special Weapons Agency (successor to the Defense Nuclear Agency) and the On-Site Inspection Agency as a result of the 1997 Defense Reform Initiative.
In 2005, the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) made the decision to designate the Commander, U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) as the lead Combatant Command (COCOM) for the integration and synchronization of DoD’s Combating WMD (CWMD) efforts in support of U.S. Government objectives. To fill this requirement, the USSTRATCOM Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction (SCC-WMD) was collocated with DTRA.
Annual published budgetary figures are $346MM (FY 2008), $354MM (FY 2009), and $385 (est. for FY 2010).
DTRA's vision is "to make the world safer by reducing the threat of weapons of mass destruction
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
."
History
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, DTRA and its predecessor agencies have implemented the DoD aspects of several treaties that assist former Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
countries in the destruction of Soviet era nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons sites (such as missile silos and plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
production facilities) in an attempt to avert potential weapons proliferation in the post-Soviet era as part of the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction
Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction
The Cooperative Threat Reduction Program is an initiative housed within the Defense Threat Reduction Agency...
(CTR) program.
DTRA is also responsible for reducing the threat of conventional war
Conventional warfare
Conventional warfare is a form of warfare conducted byusing conventional military weapons and battlefield tactics between two or more states in open confrontation. The forces on each side are well-defined, and fight using weapons that primarily target the opposing army...
, especially in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, by participating in various arms control
Arms control
Arms control is an umbrella term for restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation, and usage of weapons, especially weapons of mass destruction...
treaties to which the United States is a party, such as the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty
Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty
The Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty is a post–Cold War adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe , signed on November 19, 1999 during the OSCE's 1999 Istanbul summit. The main difference with the earlier treaty is that the troop ceilings on a bloc-to-bloc...
and the Treaty on Open Skies
Treaty on Open Skies
The Treaty on Open Skies entered into force on January 1, 2002, and currently has 34 States Parties. It establishes a program of unarmed aerial surveillance flights over the entire territory of its participants...
.
In 2002, DTRA published a detailed history of its predecessor agencies, Defense’s Nuclear Agency, 1947–1997, which is in the public domain. The first paragraph of the preface makes the following brief statement about the agencies which led up to the formation of DTRA.
- "Defense’s Nuclear Agency, 1947–1997, traces the development of the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project (AFSWP), and its descendant government organizations, from its original founding in 1947 to 1997. After the disestablishment of the Manhattan Engineering District (MED) in 1947, AFSWP was formed to provide military training in nuclear weapons’ operations. Over the years, its sequential descendant organizations have been the Defense Atomic Support Agency (DASA) from 1959 to 1971, the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) from 1971 to 1996, and the Defense Special Weapons Agency (DSWA) from 1996 to 1998. In 1998, DSWA, the On-Site Inspection Agency, the Defense Technology Security Administration, and selected elements of the Office of Secretary of Defense were combined to form the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)."
On January 26, 2006, the director of DTRA was given the extra responsibility of the director of the USSTRATCOM Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction
USSTRATCOM Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction
The USSTRATCOM Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction is a United States Strategic Command center built in cooperation with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency ....
(SCC WMD), a subordinate component to the United States Strategic Command
United States Strategic Command
United States Strategic Command is one of nine Unified Combatant Commands of the United States Department of Defense . The Command, including components, employs more than 2,700 people, representing all four services, including DoD civilians and contractors, who oversee the command's operationally...
(USSTRATCOM).
DTRA has the responsibility to manage and integrate the Department of Defense chemical and biological defense science and technology (S&T) programs. In accordance with the Recommendation 174 (h) of the 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC), the Chemical Biological Defense Research component of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency is to be re-located to Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD by September 30, 2011. DTRA plans to build space for 15 personnel at Aberdeen Proving Ground. This represents a move of about ten percent of the staff of the Chemical Biological Defense Research component of DTRA to Aberdeen Proving Ground; the rest of the staff remain at Fort Belvoir.
Publications
DTRA sponsors the journal WMD Insights.'The Shield' is the official magazine of the DTRA SCC-WMD; printed quarterly.
External links
- DTRALink, the official web site of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- Responding to War, Terrorism, and WMD Proliferation: History of DTRA, 1998–2008, DTRA History Series
- WMD Insights, DTRA supported journal
- "The Shield", DTRA's official magazine
- Defense's Nuclear Agency, 1947–1997, DTRA History Series
- CNTTR, The Center for NBC Threats, Technology Transfer, and Resources of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- ACE Center, The Assessment of Catastrophic Events Center of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency