Defense Threat Reduction Agency Totally Explained

Everything about The Defense Threat Reduction Agency totally explained

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (or DTRA) is an agency within the United States Department of Defense (DoD) dedicated to addressing the threat of weapons of mass destruction at home and abroad. The main functions of DTRA are fourfold: threat reduction, threat control, combat support, and technology development. The agency is headquartered in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. DTRA employs 2,000 civilian and military personnel at more than 14 locations around the world, including places such as Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Ukraine.
Founded in 1998, DTRA was established by consolidating several organizations in the Department of Defense, including the Defense Special Weapons Agency (successor to the Defense Nuclear Agency) and the On-Site Inspection Agency. DTRA's vision is "to make the world safer by reducing the threat of weapons of mass destruction." Its mission is "to safeguard America and its interests from weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high explosives) by reducing the threat and providing quality tools and services."

Evolution after the Cold War

After the end of the Cold War, DTRA and its predecessor agencies have implemented the DoD aspects of several treaties that assist former Eastern Bloc countries in the destruction of Soviet era nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons sites (such as missile silos and plutonium production facilities) in an attempt to avert potential weapons proliferation in the post-Soviet era as part of the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program.
The primary mission of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency is to reduce the threat to the United States and the world from weapons of mass destruction (that is, nuclear, biological, radiological, and chemical weapons). DTRA is also responsible for reducing the threat of conventional war, especially in Europe, by participating in various arms control treaties to which the United States is a party, such as the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty and the Treaty on Open Skies.
In addition to DTRA responsibilities, on January 6, 2005, the director of DTRA was dual-hatted as the director of the USSTRATCOM Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction (SCC WMD), a subordinate component to the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM).

Enterprises and Directorates

DTRA's structure is based on enterprise areas, which include directorates. The three main enterprises are Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction, Operations, and Research & Development. The Business Enterprise also exists to support acquisition excellence and financial management within the organization. The Operations Enterprise includes the Combat Support Directorate, the Cooperative Threat Reduction Directorate, and the On-Site Inspection Directorate. The Research & Development Enterprise houses the Chemical the Biological Technologies Directorate, the Nuclear Technologies Directorate, the Counter WMD Technologies Directorate, and the Systems Engineering Technologies Directorate.
DTRA sponsors the journal WMD Insights.

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