CBRNE Defense

Minimizing the impacts and effects of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) events through detection, recognition, and technological initiatives.

Recent Inquiries

Coordinating the Elimination of Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances

Is there a group coordinating the elimination of per- and polyfluorinated substances, also known as the "forever chemicals," in U.S. Department of Defense materiel?

Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Contamination in Littoral/Riverine Environment

Is there a way to detect and track chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear contamination in a littoral/riverine environment?

Memory Effect Mitigation of an Incinerator’s Pollution Abatement System

How can the "memory effect" of an incinerator's pollution abatement system be removed after it becomes contaminated with dioxins and furans?

Articles

Depiction of an alpha helix flanked by scientists and robotic arms.

NIST, Nonprofit Research Consortium to Develop Safety Tools for Synthetic Biology to Defend Against Potential Misuse of AI

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has entered a two-year cooperative research agreement with the nonprofit Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) to develop screening and safety tools to defend…

NSF Spurs Technology Development of Biological and Chemical Sensing Applications

The U.S. National Science Foundation is investing $10.4 million to develop innovative technologies and solutions to address a wide range of challenges related to chemical and biological sensing. Through this investment, 16 multidisciplinary teams have…

A man-portable tracked robot investigates a suspicious object.

New System Seeks to Upgrade Explosive Ordnance Disposal Robots, Aid Technicians

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OHIO (AFRL) — A new system seeks to aid explosive ordnance disposal, or EOD, technicians by adding a simple and inexpensive system to improve depth detection while controlling disposal robots to…

Webinars

Novel Nuclear Forensics for the 21st Century

This work will demonstrate how ubiquitous radiological characterization can take place throughout all nuclear facilities for all nuclear material (even those facilities the United States does not know exist). The presentation will detail how this…

Radiation Biodosimetry: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go

In the case of radiological/nuclear (R/N) mass casualty incidents, several thousands of humans may be exposed to ionizing radiation. Timely assessment of radiation dose is critical for making an appropriate “lifesaving” clinical decision for those…

Policies, Procedures, and Dangerous Plumes: Lessons Learned From a Mixed-Hazardous Waste Tabletop Exercise

In June of 2023, the Homeland Defense & Security Information Analysis Center convened a Tabletop Exercise (TTX) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which posited a mixed-hazardous waste “dirty bomb” blanketing a nearby federal reservation and its…

Events

An Explosion in a field.

Fundamentals of Explosives Short Course

The Fundamentals of Explosives 3-day course examines the chemistry of explosives, the physics of detonation waves to include their initiation, and the issues involved in safe handling and characterizing these. Explosive output and coupling to…

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Radiation Testing, Gas Testing, Chemical Testing, Exercise, Hill Air Force Base, Ready Eagle, Medical Readiness Training

The 34th Annual National Radiological Emergency Preparedness Conference

The Mission of the National Radiological Emergency Preparedness (NREP) Conference is to provide a professional forum for individuals involved with the Radiological Emergency Preparedness programs to gather in the spirit of continuous self-improvement to share…

12th Annual Joint Civil & DoD CBRN Symposium

This event will explore the continued efforts of the CBRN community to advance the defense, readiness, and response to current and emerging chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats.  The 2024 symposium will aim to…