Explosives Detection
Asymmetric warfare is the strategy of choice for radical terrorist groups operating in the Middle East and throughout the rest of the world. This type of warfare is not fought on a military battlefield; it is waged in densely populated cities and towns. The enemy does not wear a uniform; he dresses like his neighbors and fellow citizens. He typically does not use a rifle or a hand-gun; his weapon of choice is a common nap-sack containing dynamite or C4 or other explosives with a remote trigger, or these same explosives taped to the body of a suicide bomber. His target is not a military installation; it is a railway station at rush-hour, a crowded marketplace, a popular hotel, a high-profile office building, a commercial aircraft in flight, or perhaps a large congregation of people, such as the Super Bowl.
None of the presently deployed explosives detectors or trace chemical detection systems is capable of effectively defending against such attacks. Current technologies either lack the required sensitivity to detect ultra-low levels of explosive material, or they lack the required selectivity to avoid frequent false alarms, or both.
The tremendous challenges posed by terrorists engaged in asymmetrical warfare are not confined to the Middle East. Well-coordinated attacks against London’s bus system, Japan’s commuter rail system, Madrid’s rail system, hotels in Indonesia, India and Pakistan, and several others have already been carried out. The question is not “if” an attack in the U.S. will occur, but rather “when.” From the standpoint of effective explosives detection technology, the U.S. remains alarmingly vulnerable.