Countering WMD in Africa

Presented at the Patuxent Defense Forum on 19 April 2011. Thesis: Our national strategy to counter WMD is focused on deterring nation-states that have or intend to develop WMD programs. It attempts to eliminate the WMD threat against US territories, forces, and interests through the development of global awareness and engagement efforts, offensive and defensive capabilities, and deployable response capabilities. However, this framework fails when applied to an area of operations such as US Africa Command, given the lack of a robust US military presence and the lack of an existing or potential threat, either from nation-states or transnational actors.