Terrorist attacks on nuclear facilities

[keith.millington@TFT.CSIRO.AU]

During my time working on nuclear safeguards in the UK nuclear power

industry, the "unthinkable" was a suicide terrorist attack on an operating

nuclear power or reprocessing installation using a highjacked commercial

aircraft. It now appears that those ruthless fanatics who sanction such

wanton, indiscriminate acts now have the capability to plan and carry out

such an attack.

This is indeed a very sad day for the world, since only intense, draconian

security measures can possibly reduce the risk of this happening, and even

then one cannot do this with 100% certainty.



The civilised nations of the world clearly need to rethink their approach to

terrorism and its perpetrators. Instead of wasting billions on a missile

defense system against so-called 'rogue states', these vast US funds could

be far more usefully spent on measures to counteract and eliminate the few,

high-profile, identified and active proponents of global terrorism and their

organisations, for the benefit of humanity, and improving intelligence and

security measures against such groups. If this involves infiltrating these

groups to obtain substantive evidence of their terrorist activities, then

hunting down and eliminating certain individuals and their disciples

currently avoiding justice in remote parts of the globe, then so be it. A

concerted world approach would be required for this, to avoid any

accusations of  state-sponsored elimination of legitimate peaceful political

protesters or opposition groups, as distinct from organisations clearly

involved in acts of terrorism. Difficult yes, but surely not impossible.



Keith Millington



  

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