The proliferation of WMD is a multilayered phenomenon, fueled by indigenous research and development, global trade, arms sales, and covert transfers to nonstate actors. Defending against such a complex threat, in turn, involves a wide array of legal, institutional, and strategic mechanisms. Besides relying on deterrence, states can adopt export controls to reduce proliferation generally, build missile defenses and other passive defenses to minimize the damage from a WMD attack, take military action to disarm a potential adversary, or police the channels proliferators use to exchange weapons. Collectively, these are known as “counterproliferation” strategies, aimed at preparing the United States and its allies to operate effectively against WMD armed adversaries. While such measures will never eliminate the potential for a WMD attack, they are ways to manage risk and enable the United States to continue to support international stability in a confident manner. This chapter will briefly examine the range of counterproliferation strategies under review and development.

EXPORT CONTROLS

The use of export controls to prevent potential adversaries from acquiring advanced weaponry has always been the most sensible first line of defense in US counterproliferation efforts. During the Cold War, the United States created the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls to deny sophisticated technology to the Soviet Union, and a veritable alphabet soup of arms control agencies and treaties are in place today to limit the spread of WMD, including the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), and the Enhanced Proliferation Control Initiative (EPCI).