How in the hell could terrorists get a nuke, or much less a "Dirty" bomb into our borders?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How in the hell could terrorists get a nuke, or much less a "Dirty" bomb into our borders?

Posted: 9/26/2004 9:13:08 PM EDT

There's a team called NEST (Nuclear Emergency Search Team) that keeps tabs on nuclear materials and can apparently detect them with pin point accuracy. I cant imagine with todays technology, satellites and intel, how a terrorist can get through our grid.

Posted: 9/26/2004 9:15:32 PM EDT

[#1]

They could wrap it in a condom, jam it up thier ass, and smuggle it that way!

Posted: 9/26/2004 9:16:51 PM EDT

[#2]

Any number of ways; shipping containers, suitcase bombs, etc. You are too trusting in technology to catch these guys.

Posted: 9/26/2004 9:17:28 PM EDT

[#3]

The same way millions of illegal’s and 1000's of tons of drugs enter this country!!
Walk across the southern border

Posted: 9/26/2004 9:17:59 PM EDT

[#4]

Ever see the movie or read the book sum of all fears? Customs CANNOT inspect ALL containers.

Posted: 9/26/2004 9:18:27 PM EDT

[#5]

Just walk it across the fucking border of CA, NM, TX.

And I think the question should read,
"How could a terrorist get a dirty bomb, much less a nuke into our Country?"

Posted: 9/26/2004 9:19:12 PM EDT

[#6]

NAFTA

Posted: 9/26/2004 9:20:06 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
Any number of ways; shipping containers, suitcase bombs, etc. You are too trusting in technology to catch these guys.

Not so much the technology. According to Eric Haney (Inside Delta Force), those NEST guys or some top notch scientists, highly experienced in the field.

Posted: 9/26/2004 9:20:30 PM EDT

[#8]

Alot of stuff comes in, alot of cars and people come across the "offical" border corssing.

Illegals, dugs and lots of other stuff comes in and out all the time.

Posted: 9/26/2004 9:20:34 PM EDT

[#9]

You've never really been on the frontier, have you???

Because it is painfully obvious by your confidence in your Gov't being able to secure our country.

Posted: 9/26/2004 9:22:42 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Any number of ways; shipping containers, suitcase bombs, etc. You are too trusting in technology to catch these guys.

Not so much the technology. According to Eric Haney (Inside Delta Force), those NEST guys or some top notch scientists, highly experienced in the field.

if that was really true, do you think they would be working for the .gov? we can't pay them enough.

Posted: 9/26/2004 9:31:06 PM EDT

[#11]

I seriously doubt the NEST teams are looking for illegal aliens and stolen cars that come across the border. Has anyone got good info/opinion on this organization? (I've already googled it)

Posted: 9/26/2004 9:32:43 PM EDT

[#12]

As this guy:
Caught

Posted: 9/26/2004 9:36:04 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
As this guy:
Caught

Cool! That was standard munitions though.

Nuclear material gives off traces that are detectable from greater distacnces. I'm currious as to what the NEST teams use to detect this stuff, and how they do it. Prolly wont be able to find out though since I'm sure it's top secrete.

Posted: 9/26/2004 9:40:24 PM EDT

[#14]

Only a few percent of shipping containers are EVER inspected. It would be ridiculoulsy easy to get nuclear weapons into the U.S.

The pathetic border security - paritcularly with shipping containers - is why the "missile shield" (or SDI reborn) is pointless as long as we don't have tighter borders. As soon as the U.S. developed any real missile shield, China and Russia would just smuggle some big-ass nukes into the US and place them in the basement of some house in the suburbs of major cities.

Posted: 9/26/2004 9:40:56 PM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
There's a team called NEST (Nuclear Emergency Search Team) that keeps tabs on nuclear materials and can apparently detect them with pin point accuracy. I cant imagine with todays technology, satellites and intel, how a terrorist can get through our grid.

Shielding radioactive emissions is extremely simple. We wouldn't be able to use any radioactive materials for anything if shielding weren't possible. Detecting radioactive emissions is complicated by many factors, including all the 'legit' sources which would be popping up constantly. Radioactive material for a dirty bomb wouldn't need to be smuggled over a border anyway, as such material is commom as waste at any large hospital, among other places. We simply don't have a "grid" to detect such things. One isn't feasable, and would be too easily circumvented anyway.

Do some research regarding use of radioactive isotopes in health care and industry, and how such materials are shielded. Or, take any DOT approved haz mat course. FEMA probably has one on line.

Posted: 9/26/2004 10:17:35 PM EDT

[#16]

UPS, FedEx, DHL. Take your pick.

CW

Posted: 9/26/2004 10:34:25 PM EDT

[#17]

A dirty bomb could be made with materials obtained in the US.

A nuclear bamb would be a little more difficult. Most likely it would go by container ship to a close foriegn port in Canada, Mexico or Cuba. Then placed aboard a chartered aircraft for its trip to the United States. If the charter was to the city were the terrorists wanted to detonate the weapon, the weapon could be detonated enroute while still in the air.

Posted: 9/26/2004 11:08:38 PM EDT

[#18]

I bet FedEx would get it in or out, no problem.

(Hehe Cold_Warrior beat me to it...)

Posted: 9/26/2004 11:14:43 PM EDT

[#19]

Southern border. I am quite sure that I would only get caught 1 out of 20 times bringing an entire armored division (including logistical support) accross the border, at any time of day. I would probably get as far as Amarillo before getting spotted if I was careful.

Imagine what one determined guy with help on this side of the border could do with a backpack. For all we know, there could be 1000 of them already here waiting for a signal.

Posted: 9/26/2004 11:50:09 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:

NAFTA

Crank. NAFTA sucks ass, but that's ridiculous.

and to the topic-poster - shipping containers. Millions and millions of them uninspected. Every month.
Recall the economic stutters when Port of Los Angeles went on strike? Imagine it a glowing crater, instead.

Posted: 9/27/2004 12:35:38 AM EDT

[#21]

i actually watched on tv a while back a show about a news reporter who after 9-11 mailed from Pakistan no less, real radioactive material in a shipping container into the US and it made it just fine

Posted: 9/27/2004 12:48:30 AM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:
The same way millions of illegal’s and 1000's of tons of drugs enter this country!!
Walk across the southern border

Roger that

Posted: 9/27/2004 1:09:52 AM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
Only a few percent of shipping containers are EVER inspected. It would be ridiculoulsy easy to get nuclear weapons into the U.S.

The pathetic border security - paritcularly with shipping containers - is why the "missile shield" (or SDI reborn) is pointless as long as we don't have tighter borders. As soon as the U.S. developed any real missile shield, China and Russia would just smuggle some big-ass nukes into the US and place them in the basement of some house in the suburbs of major cities.

The KGB may have done this during the cold war. They may have smuggled in enough parts over time in the diplomatic pouch to make a small nuke. We may never know though

Posted: 9/27/2004 1:17:19 AM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Only a few percent of shipping containers are EVER inspected. It would be ridiculoulsy easy to get nuclear weapons into the U.S.

The pathetic border security - paritcularly with shipping containers - is why the "missile shield" (or SDI reborn) is pointless as long as we don't have tighter borders. As soon as the U.S. developed any real missile shield, China and Russia would just smuggle some big-ass nukes into the US and place them in the basement of some house in the suburbs of major cities.

The KGB may have done this during the cold war. They may have smuggled in enough parts over time in the diplomatic pouch to make a small nuke. We may never know though

Hell, we probably did the same thing to the Soviets...

The key to preventing that nightmare scenario is to stop them overseas, BEFORE they get close to the United States...BETTER OVER THERE THAN IN TIMES SQUARE!!!

Posted: 9/27/2004 1:22:04 AM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:
There's a team called NEST (Nuclear Emergency Search Team) that keeps tabs on nuclear materials and can apparently detect them with pin point accuracy. I cant imagine with todays technology, satellites and intel, how a terrorist can get through our grid.

the team may be quite good, but their pin point accuracy doesnt seem to apply to say...north korea, iran, iraq, but maybe those countries just lack this "grid' that has somehow been secretly constructed to cover the us. hmmm. what if the gov really can find them and has just been playing this uncertainty card for political reasons.

Posted: 9/27/2004 4:17:34 AM EDT

[#26]

Shipping container through a major port would be no problem. Long Beach, Newark, Galveston, Miami, ect each see tens of thousands of those things a day. Or you could ship it to either Mexico or Canada (don't think our Northern border is anymore secure than our Southern) and truck it across from there.
I was talking about this with a friend and I figured the smartest thing to do if you're the terrorist is to detonate the thing in port. You don't run the risk of transporting the thing around in the CONUS and a nuclear detonation in a major port like Newark would have a huge negative impact on the ecomony.
Scary stuff...

Posted: 9/27/2004 5:30:39 AM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:
There's a team called NEST (Nuclear Emergency Search Team) that keeps tabs on nuclear materials and can apparently detect them with pin point accuracy. I cant imagine with todays technology, satellites and intel, how a terrorist can get through our grid.

NEST is activated after a credible threat is received or intell indicates that a certian localized area is threatened. They don't do border interdiction or guard the entire U.S. 24/7. Their job is to locate a suspected device and deal with it AFTER it's suspected location (as in a certian city) has been established. NEST is a DOE outfit so you should find something if you look on their site. Also do a google on the Harvey's Casino bombing. This is the event that sparked the creation of NEST.

Posted: 9/27/2004 5:32:28 AM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:
There's a team called NEST (Nuclear Emergency Search Team) that keeps tabs on nuclear materials and can apparently detect them with pin point accuracy. I cant imagine with todays technology, satellites and intel, how a terrorist can get through our grid.

You're kidding right? I could fly one in from Canada tomorrow.

Posted: 9/27/2004 11:17:45 AM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:
what if the gov really can find them and has just been playing this uncertainty card for political reasons.

Thats the real question I've been digging at.

Posted: 9/27/2004 11:23:51 AM EDT

[#30]

Why import what you can build here?

Posted: 9/27/2004 11:35:24 AM EDT

[#31]

It would be easy to manpack a nuke across the border if it is broken down into its component parts. There is no need for a large casing (if plutonium based, uranium based needs the casing as it is part of the detonation process of the bomb)if it is not going to be delivered with an airborne/arty delivery system. Or as tcsd1236 said, a shipping container in port is just as easy, especially if the terrorists planned on denotation in the port itself. That would pretty much wreck our economy.

Our satellite system is geared to detection of a nuke event, not the detection of the material itself. There is pretty much nothing but a lack of expertise on the terrorists part standing between us and getting nuked.

And that is our happy thought for the day, boys and girls.

Posted: 9/27/2004 11:46:47 AM EDT

[#32]

Dress like a Mulla, and tie it to the roof of a car. If you get stopped, scream racism!

Posted: 9/27/2004 11:52:47 AM EDT

[#33]

If you think the southern border is lax, you wouldn't believe the northern border. You can walk across in the woods anywhere and no one would be the wiser.

Posted: 9/27/2004 1:26:03 PM EDT

[#34]

Quoted:
Quoted:
As this guy:
Caught

Cool! That was standard munitions though.

Nuclear material gives off traces that are detectable from greater distacnces. I'm currious as to what the NEST teams use to detect this stuff, and how they do it. Prolly wont be able to find out though since I'm sure it's top secrete.

Yes but the point being made is that right now a person can just fly into the US with these items in his bags.

The term "dirty bomb" is wide enough that the materials needed may not be up to the levels currently tracked. That is what makes these types so dangerous, the in-ablility to track them.

To directly answer your question, I dont know what they use.

CH

Posted: 9/27/2004 3:13:23 PM EDT

[#35]

Here's exactly how to get a WMD into the USA.

www.apfn.net/messageboard/07-30-04/discussion.cgi.34.html

www.americanpatrol.com/04-FEATURES/040721-WMD-BDR-SIMULATION/040721_Feature.html

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How in the hell could terrorists get a nuke, or much less a "Dirty" bomb into our borders?

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