It is striking, if not surprising, that so much attention is paid to the least likely use of nuclear weapons, war between the superpowers, and so little to the more likely disasters-nuclear wars in the Third World or nuclear terrorism. The work of this task force is a welcome attempt to address the last. Its warning is measured-there is no evidence that terrorist groups yet have the combination of will and ability to build nuclear devices-yet even a plausible nuclear hoax could be terrifying. And yet its recommendations amount to doing more of what we are already doing-more permissive action links (PALs) on nuclear weapons, especially sea-based ones, more safeguards and more efforts to discourage the use of weapons-grade materials in nuclear reactors. Several of the background papers are quirky or polemical, but most are helpful. Most readers will be surprised to learn that the U.S. already has Nuclear Emergency Search Teams (NESTs) for possible use in dealing with nuclear terrorism.
