This occasional paper of the National Defense University’s Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD Center) examines the role, manifestations, and challenges of international cooperation to combat the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) threat and poses important questions for future leaders to address in moving international cooperation forward in this area.

The foundation for the paper is the presentations given and discussions conducted during the WMD Center’s seventh annual symposium, Building International Partnerships to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction, held at the National Defense University on May 16–17, 2007. In several areas, the author has expanded upon those discussions and examined broader issues and considerations impacting international cooperation against the WMD threat.

While all symposium sessions were off the record and all comments delivered on a nonattribution basis, the WMD Center wishes to thank the many speakers and panelists for their contributions to that event and, hence, to this paper. In particular, the WMD Center thanks the Honorable Stuart Levey, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, and the Honorable John Rood, Acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, for delivering the symposium’s keynote addresses.

The WMD Center also expresses its special appreciation to the symposium’s international speakers, who in many cases traveled great distances to participate and in all cases made invaluable contributions to the symposium’s success.

They include Ambassador Peter Burian of Slovakia, Ambassador Alan Charlton of the United Kingdom, Mr. Ivan Dvorak of the Czech Republic, Ambassador Friedrich Gröning of Germany, Mr. Gu Guoliang of China, Ambassador Raminder Singh Jassal of India, Ambassador Dennis Richardson of Australia, Mr. Guillaume Schlumberger of France, and Mr. Kazuyoshi Umemoto of Japan.

Additionally, the symposium owes its success to the following key participants: Ambassador David Abshire, Ambassador William Bellamy, Mr. Joseph Benkert, Ms. Lisa Bronson, Dr. Ashton Carter, Dr. Lewis Dunn, Dr. Roger George, the Honorable Christopher (Ryan) Henry, Ambassador Robert Joseph, Rear Admiral John Miller, USN, Dr. Tara O’Toole, Mr. Vayl Oxford, Dr. James (Ben) Petro, Dr. James Tegnelia, and the Honorable William Tobey.

The author would also like to acknowledge the assistance of Mr. Aaron Arnold, Dr. Lewis Dunn, Mr. Joseph Hogler, Ms. Jessica Iannotti, and Dr. Jeffrey Larsen.

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By Paul I. Bernstein
Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Occasional Paper 6

National Defense University Press
Washington, D.C.
May 2008

Contents:
Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
The Partnership Imperative.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
New Dynamics of Cooperation.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Reducing Nuclear Dangers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Strengthening Biodefense and Biosecurity.. . . . . . 21
Security Cooperation.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
The Way Ahead. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Notes.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
About the Author.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

About the Author
Paul I. Bernstein is a Vice President with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in McLean, Virginia. He specializes in analysis and project management in the areas of weapons proliferation, strategic forces policy, and regional security, and works with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Joint Staff, and National Defense University on a range of technical and training activities. Mr. Bernstein is a member of the Combating WMD Panel of the Threat Reduction Advisory Committee, has supported development of key Department of Defense combating WMD strategy and concept documents, and is a regular guest lecturer on WMD issues at the Army and Marine Corps War Colleges. He developed the programs of instruction for the Proliferation, Terrorism, and Response Course at the Defense Nuclear Weapons School and the WMD elective taught at the Army War College. In the strategic forces area, Mr. Bernstein is engaged in a number of efforts to examine the future nuclear landscape and future directions for U.S. nuclear policy.

Mr. Bernstein is most recently the author of “Shaping the Nuclear Landscape,” Joint Force Quarterly 46 (3d Quarter, 2007); The Future Nuclear Landscape, Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction Occasional Paper 5 (National Defense University Press, April 2007); and Weapons of Mass Destruction: A Primer (SAIC, October 2006).

Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction National Defense University
Since its inception in 1994, the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction (previously the Center for Counterproliferation Research) has been at the forefront of research on the consequences of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) for American security.

Originally focusing on threats to the Armed Forces, the WMD Center now also applies its expertise and body of research to the challenges of homeland defense and security. In February 2004, President George W. Bush commended the Center for providing “vital insight into the dangers of a new era.”

The broad mandate of the Center includes research, education, and outreach. Its research focuses on understanding the security implications of weapons of mass destruction, as well as the challenge of fashioning effective responses to them. Education and outreach programs seek to enhance awareness in the next generation of military and civilian leaders of the WMD threat as it relates to defense and homeland security policy, programs, technology, and operations. As a part of its outreach efforts, the WMD Center hosts annual symposia on key issues, bringing together experts and participants from the government and private sectors.

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