Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction (C-WMD)

Communities of Interest - Alumni

The mission of the Counter-WMD COI is to promote cooperation, collaboration, and communication among the Components leading to the discovery, development, and integration of innovative and affordable technologies that enhance DoD capabilities in C-WMD. It also provides a forum to advocate for new ideas, technical directions, technology opportunities, C-WMD S&T strategies. The C-WMD COI also serves as a mechanism for DoD to facilitate improved interagency communication, coordination, and research and development as envisioned in the National Strategy for Combating WMD.

  • Understand the Environment, Threats, and Vulnerabilities: It is essential for DoD to have as clear an understanding of the environment as possible. This requires creating and maintaining situational awareness of the location, quantity, and vulnerability of global materials and stockpiles and of the intentions and capabilities of actors of concern. This includes adversaries’ proliferation pathways, development activities, supporting networks, decision making, and doctrine.
  • Control, Defeat, Disable and/or Dispose of WMD Threats: DoD must possess the capabilities to conduct activities to control, defeat, disable, and/or dispose of specific WMD threats.  Control activities require the ability to isolate, intercept, divert, seize, and secure WMD and related capabilities.  Defeat WMD activities target the entire spectrum of an adversary’s pathway from development through employment of WMD with the aim of delaying, disrupting, destroying, or otherwise complicating specific nodes, links, and supporting networks prior to an adversary’s acquisition of WMD.
  • Safeguard the Force and Manage Consequences: The ability to respond to a CBRN incident in order to mitigate hazards and the effects of use such that military personnel and other mission-critical personnel can sustain effective operations and enable support for U.S. civil authorities and foreign civil authorities as authorized.  DoD must be prepared in the event that adversaries use WMD in the homeland, against allies or partners, or against deployed U.S. forces. In these scenarios, it will be essential to recover casualties rapidly, decontaminate personnel and equipment, and establish a protective posture while continually monitoring the force.

Counter-WMD CoI Poster

Additional Materials

  • CWMD Col Classified Roadmap Request Form (Unavailable)