Illicit trafficking in or smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive materials occurs worldwide and has reportedly increased in recent years. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency1 (IAEA), as of December 31, 2001, there had been 181 confirmed cases of illicit trafficking of nuclear material since 1993. A significant number of the cases reported by IAEA involved material that could be used to produce a nuclear weapon or a device that uses conventional explosives with radioactive material (dirty bomb) to spread radioactive contamination over a wide area. Nuclear material can be smuggled across a country's border through a variety of means: it can be hidden in a car, train, or ship, carried in personal luggage through an airport, or walked across an unprotected border. This report addresses U.S. efforts to combat nuclear smuggling by (1) identifying the U.S. federal programs tasked with combating the threat of illicit trafficking in nuclear materials and the amount of U.S. funding spent on this effort; (2) determining how well the U.S. assistance is coordinated among federal agencies; and (3) assessing the effectiveness of the equipment and training provided by the United States. We visited four countries to obtain a first hand look at U.S. radiation detection equipment installed at different border crossings and meet with officials responsible for border security, law enforcement, and export controls.
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