Defense Threat Reduction Agency

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is "the U.S. Department of Defense’s official Combat Support Agency for countering weapons of mass destruction," which includes "the entire spectrum of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high yield explosive threats." 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.

According to the DTRA website, "DTRA’s programs include basic science research and development, operational support to U.S. warfighters on the front line, and an in-house WMD think tank that aims to anticipate and mitigate future threats."

Methods and Operations
"DTRA accomplishes its [basic research] mission by investing in basic research efforts at universities, non-profit organizations, national labs and Department of Defense service labs."

DTRA also claims that its expertise in the areas of anti-WMD are sought by a variety of sources. DTRA's website states that "the list of organizations and entities that have relationships with us is long and often distinguished and everyone from U.S. military combatant commands and federal law enforcement agencies, to foreign governments, academic institutions and private industry." However, as of September 2010 DTRA does not list any of these partners on its website.

DTRA's Advanced Systems and Concepts Office (ASCO) produces the newsletter "WMD Insights," which publishes unclassified information about potential WMD developments around the world.

Contact details
Voice: (703) 767-5870 Fax: (703) 767-4450 Toll-free: (800) 701-5096 DSN: 427-5870 Email: dtra.publicaffairs@dtra.mil

URL: http://www.dtra.mil/

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * Ballistic Missile Defense Advisory Committee (BMDAC)
 * Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
 * Department of Defense
 * Threat Reduction Advisory Council (TRAC)