WHO WE ARE

 Weapons of mass destruction - chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear - and high yield explosives can pose deadly and destructive threats to U.S. security. Through its support to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and to combatant commanders, DTRA works to stop the spread, counter the effects, and prepare for the use of weapons of mass destruction. By making WMD less effective or completely ineffective, we limit their appeal to our adversaries and their potential use as tools of war, provide U.S. forces freedom of action, and protect the homeland.



DTRA engages in the full range of nonproliferation, counterproliferation and consequence management activities identified in the National Security Strategy of the United States as essential to combating WMD threats. As both a defense agency and a combat support agency, DTRA creates solutions and delivers the products, training and services to defeat WMD where they are needed – in the hands of the warfighter. When the warfighter requires support, DTRA delivers.

DTRA’s partners in the fight against WMD include other federal agencies, the combatant commands, the Joint Staff, the armed services, international organizations, U.S. allies and countries around the planet. DTRA works with these partners towards the one goal we all share:

Making the World Safer

DTRA is an agile, efficient and integrated organization composed of multitalented, innovative, diverse and principled people. They are the organizations’ most valuable asset. The values which steer them – integrity, service, excellence, innovation and teamwork – are the source of DTRA’s strength and drive its success.

DTRA is headquartered in the Defense Threat Reduction Center at Fort Belvoir, Va. From there, DTRA directs the activities of its 1,900 civilian and military employees, many of whom are stationed at liaison offices and other locations throughout the United States and around the world.

U.S. Strategic Command Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction

The President’s National Security Strategy to combat Weapons of Mass Destruction describes WMD in the hands of hostile states and terrorists as one of the greatest security challenges facing the United States. Two policy documents issued by the Department of Defense (DoD) in 2006 – the 2006 Quadrennial Review and the National Military Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction – both reaffirmed the need for the Department of Defense to continue to develop an integrated and comprehensive approach to counter the threat of WMD.

To accomplish this goal, the Secretary of Defense designated the commander of USSTRATCOM as the lead combatant commander for integrating and synchronizing global WMD efforts. USSTRATCOM controls our nuclear arsenal and is also a globally focused command and a global integrator. The Command is charged with the missions of space operations, information operations, integrated missile defense, global command and control, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, global strike, and strategic deterrence.

Formally established in August 2005, the USSTRATCOM Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction is co-located with DTRA at Fort Belvoir, Va. Kenneth A. Myers serves as both the director of SCC-WMD and DTRA. The Center achieved full operational capability on Dec. 31, 2006.

The mission of the SCC-WMD is to integrate and synchronize the Department’s efforts to combat worldwide WMD in support of U.S. government objectives. The Center advises combatant commands on WMD-related matters, provides critical planning expertise and develops recommendations to reduce vulnerabilities and improve Department of Defense effectiveness in combating WMD. There is a direct working relationship between combatant commands responsible for the WMD mission and DTRA’s technical and operational mission expertise.

The DTRA Operations Center supports the SCC-WMD mission in maintaining 24-hour situational awareness of critical combating WMD efforts and information. To facilitate tracking of its efforts, the SCC-WMD established a web-based information portal that offers combatant commanders, Department of Defense leadership and other organizations a one-stop shop to increase awareness of global combating WMD activities. With personnel and resources leveraged from DTRA, USSTRATCOM provides the nation with global deterrence capabilities to combat WMD worldwide.