Page Updated: 09-Jun-2008
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Contributing to the fight against terrorism

Since 2004, the Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme has mirrored the wider process of NATO’s transformation to better respond to the threats and challenges of the 21 st century, including terrorism.

Contributing to these developments, the SPS Programme supports security-related research in the priority research area of “Defence against Terrorism”, covering a wide range of subjects such as rapid detection of Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear (CBRN) agents and weapons, decontamination of CBRN agents, medical countermeasures and explosives detection.

Examples of activities supported by the SPS Programme

Workshops

• The workshop “International Approaches to Counter Next-Generation Improvised Explosive Devices - Anticipating Future Security Shortfalls and Requirements” took place on 23-25 April 2008 in Oxford, UK.  Experts examined the future threats posed by improvised explosive devices and the fostering of international cooperation to deter, detect, identify and neutralise these next-generation improvised explosive devices.

• The Advanced Research Workshop “Transportation Security Measures to Counter Terrorism” was organised on 5-6 May 2008 in Ankara, Turkey, by the NATO Centre of Excellence-Defence Against Terrorism. The 37 participants from NATO, Partner and Mediterranean Dialogue countries focused infrastructure and transportation security policies related to terrorism. The experts are aiming at the  development of a concept to ensure pre-emptive action to eliminate or significantly reduce the effects of terrorism on transportation.

• The NATO SPS Programme sponsored the workshop on “Piracy and Maritime Terrorism: Logistics, Strategies, Scenarios” that took place on 19-22 May 2008 in Lisbon, Portugal with the participation of 35 experts from NATO, Partner and Mediterranean Dialogue countries.  The objective of this workshop was to promote dialogue and cooperation among states, institutions, law enforcement agencies, insurance companies and shipping companies to develop a global policy on piracy and maritime terrorism. 

Projects

• Investigators from Italy, Israel, Russia and the United States have cooperated since March 2006 on the development of ways to detect unexploded ordnance using an imaging technique based on electromagnetic waves. In terms of implementation, this research will be used in humanitarian demining operations and for the detection of ordnance and explosives during security screening of luggage and passengers. To that end one of the immediate end-users of the system will be Israeli governmental agencies as well as Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd. (SfP– 982376)

• Since September 2007, investigators from Bulgaria, Greece and the United Kingdom have cooperated to develop nanomaterials for photochemical and photelectrochemical purification processes in air, water and soil. Photooxidation has been proposed as a means for the destruction of bacteria, anthrax and other harmful substances introduced into the air or water as a result of terrorist attack. The proposed research program aims at the development of visible light active catalysts and their incorporation into complete photo-purification units for water and air treatment (SfP –982835)

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