United States Department of Defense
Published: 2014-10-29
Total Pages: 30
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Actors of concern pose a threat of developing, acquiring, proliferating, or employing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and related capabilities--expertise, materials, technologies, and means of delivery. These activities present a clear threat to the strategic objectives of the United States. State or non-state actors may use WMD to conduct a catastrophic attack on U.S. citizens and infrastructure; to exploit U.S. power projection, sustainment, and force protection vulnerabilities; to deny access to an area or region and limit the ability of the United States to respond to urgent threats; or to undermine the support for U.S. policies and actions by key regional partners. This strategy seeks to ensure that the United States and its allies and partners are neither attacked nor coerced by actors with WMD. It delineates three end states: that no new actors obtain WMD, those possessing WMD do not use them, and if actors use WMD, their effects are minimized. It is imperative that our political will and military capability to provide security, resist coercion, and defeat aggression are not undermined by the threatened or actual use of WMD. As part of a whole-of-government effort, the Department of Defense (DoD) will continue to build new capabilities, coalitions, mechanisms, and international norms in cooperation with allies and partners to counter WMD. Countering WMD (CWMD) consists of efforts against actors of concern to curtail the conceptualization, development, possession, proliferation, use, and effects of WMD and related capabilities. These efforts emphasize shaping the security environment to influence state and non-state actors to eschew WMD-related activities. They focus on addressing WMD developments as early as possible and protecting the force against operationally significant threats. DoD will closely integrate these efforts into broader plans and operations. This strategy reflects the contemporary and emerging WMD challenge and provides a strong foundation for developing and implementing necessary policies, plans, and programs.