U.S. to Boost Nuclear Forensics Funds, Official Says

The United States plans to increase spending to improve its ability to identify the source of nuclear blasts, the Kyodo news agency reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 20).

A senior U.S. official said ensuring such a capability, a process called attribution, would help Washington deter countries, particularly North Korea now that it has tested a nuclear weapon, from supplying nuclear materials to terrorist groups.

“Obviously we have to consider now the possibility that the North Koreans, who have shown no interest in constraining proliferation, would be willing to either sell materials or sell a warhead to the highest bidder,” said John Harvey, of the National Nuclear Security Administration.  “That really concerns me.”

“I would like to have a capability that says, ‘If you do that, we’ll find out that it’s you, and we will respond appropriately,’” he added.

Harvey said he expected more funds would be allocated to improving U.S. attribution capabilities.  Currently the United States spends about $5 million on its nuclear forensics program, he said.

“Before the North Korean test, we were planning to increase resources on attribution,” Harvey said.  “But after the nuclear test, we got quite a bit of attention.  There was quite a bit of interest in our attribution capabilities, both inside and outside the government” (Kyodo News, Dec. 3).

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