Nuclear Terrorism Against the United States

NUCLEAR TERRORISM AGAINST THE UNITED STATES: An analysis of ten key targets that may disrupt our society By R.J. Godlewski © April 9, 2008, All Rights Reserved

Part of my role in combating terrorism – at least that which I’m at liberty to discuss without getting nasty – is educating the general population regarding the threat that greets us every moment of every day as soon as we wake from our most deserved slumbers. My ‘thing’ is weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear devices – ostensibly from growing up and serving within the Cold War – an interest that’s incubated ever since I fascinated both my fellow high school students and Physics teacher with my first design of a thermonuclear weapon. I miss those days when everyone realized that a few of our cities were just moments away from extinction and we had to remain vigilant.

Today, with the advent of the Internet and the proliferation of weapons technology, mere ‘students’ designing nuclear weaponry is far more acceptable but the instantaneous vaporization of one or more of our cities seems to be left solely to the imagination of fiction writers and government analysts. I aim to change that; at least as much as I can. Outlined below, I have analyzed ten vulnerable targets within the United States that terrorists are considering for unleashing nuclear strikes upon the United States. These threats are obvious to all but those of us who go about our daily lives expecting to continually live "just one more day." These ‘targets’ are identified in no random order, but their destruction could lead to severe consequences regarding our economy, national security, and our proud heritage. Can we protect these locations? Probably not. Will we endure after an attack against them? Probably so. Should we retaliate in kind against anyone who so much as aids the perpetrators? Definitely. Perhaps if we look at what could be unleashed upon the United States, our population will begin to ignore our political bickering and unite under firm resolve to defeat our enemies. Let’s just hope that we learn our lesson while our landscape remains intact.

OUR VULNERABLE TARGETS

1. DETROIT: For sake of fairness, I will begin closest to home. Detroit is vulnerable for several reasons. First, the city rests on the border with Canada and represents a key logistical point. The two primary routes into the city are the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor tunnel. A destruction of Detroit would severely damage not only international shipments but devastate the American automotive industry, an action that would propel Michigan from the brink of bankruptcy into an unrecoverable spiral towards oblivion. Aside from the destructive potential, the Detroit Metropolitan area contains one of the United States’ largest Muslim populations and its proximity to the border allows ‘sleeper terrorists’ to venture back and forth with impunity.

2. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA: Few would consider the Cape Canaveral area to be a viable target, but the vast majority of our commercial, military, and scientific spacecraft are launched from this particular piece of Floridian real estate. Our other fundamental option is Vandenberg Air Force Base out in California (which is restricted due to its position within a heavily enviro-friendly state) and using services provided by the Europeans, Russians, or Chinese – none of which are what I consider to be allies. If we lose our ability to launch spacecraft for five, ten, or fifteen years, of what effect would it have on our communications; our television broadcasts; or our military operations? Ignoring our ability to ridicule Third World or private efforts, I can imagine how a determined enemy could produce a very small device and sneak it into the relatively open fields of the KSC and contaminate a significant part of American history. Not only would we lose our ability to tap into the cosmos, we’d also take a psychological hit as well.

3. SILICON VALLEY: Okay, this one is not much of a revelation. The area surrounding San Francisco Bay represents everything ‘technical’ about America. The Dot Com debacle has changed the significance of this region, but its vaporization (or otherwise contamination) would severely restrict our ability to move our economy forward. Add to this the significant port and military facilities in the area and, dare I say, liberal municipalities and the area remains near the height of any enemy’s target list.

4. WASHINGTON, D.C.: We’ve all thought about nuking the place at one time or another, but for our enemies it represents the ultimate in targeting. Besides being of psychological value, irradiating our nation’s capital would prevent politicians from doing whatever it is that politicians do. Furthermore, there are a significant number of historical landmarks within Washington and terrorists would love a chance to contaminate Americana.

5. NEW YORK CITY: If any city represents America – culturally if not politically – it would have to be the Big Apple, site of two Islamist attacks upon the United States and our financial center. Knowing that we recovered quickly from 9/11, the terrorists want to prove that they can attack us time and again at the same location and in increasing intensity (as they did with 9/11). The diversity of the population, its concentration, and close proximity to the sea make NYC a prime target for anyone who hates America.

6. HOUSTON, TEXAS: Offshore oil capital of the United States and, ergo, our best chance to wean ourselves off foreign petroleum. The terrorists would love to incinerate the city in the hopes that we would crawl back to the Saudis, Hugo Chavez, and just about every other cesspool on the planet. An attack would not necessarily eliminate our offshore operations, but the destruction of the ‘command center’ for the industry would certainly affect our ability to explore for and utilize subsea oil.

7. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Not quite the notorious gambling capital that it once was owing to the proliferation of Native American casinos, Vegas still highlights the ‘character’ of American capitalism (gambling, booking, prostitution, etc.). By targeting the city, the terrorists would finally prove that what happens in Las Vegas wouldn’t necessarily stay in Vegas.

8. HONOLULU, HAWAII: At first glance, tiny Honolulu located on tiny Oahu would seem a distant prospect for nuclear terrorism. However, in the eyes of our Islamist enemies, the island state is prime real estate. Why? First, destruction of Honolulu (effectively the whole of Oahu) would, in principle, eliminate one of the stars from our flag. The virtual wiping out of an entire state would represent a major strike against the United States. Second, Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base are separated from the city only by Honolulu International Airport. A nuclear detonation anywhere near the trio would eliminate the island as a maritime or aircraft stopover. At to this contamination of what is arguably one of America’s greatest natural resources would deny paradise for millions of tourists from the mainland as well as those visiting from Japan.

9. HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA: Granted, an attack anywhere in the Los Angeles area would be a grave situation, but terrorists are seeking the psychological edge as well. Everyone, no matter how removed from the trappings of civilization, knows of Hollywood and the movies that it has produced over the course of the past century or so. By incinerating the city and contaminating a significant industry, they could strike at the very soul of America. Sure, we could (and do) produce films anywhere but Hollywood represents the cream of the crop as far as the global entertainment industry goes.

10. SAINT LOUIS, MISSOURI: The "Gateway" to the West does indeed represent a significant logistical portal to points west of the Mississippi. If terrorists were able to detonate a device within this city, transportation of
products and people would be detoured through smaller avenues. Add the headquarters for beer and aerospace, to name but two industries, and our economy would take a hit.

The above represents a list of ten targets that intuitive intelligence suggests that our Islamist terrorist enemies are considering for inaugurating nuclear terrorism upon the people of the United States. An expanded effort would quadruple this list and include Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Seattle, and a range of other cities that I have elected to bypass for various professional reasons. Most experts believe that a nuclear attack upon the United States is inevitable but they tend to concentrate on either a radiological attack or one incorporating a large and inefficient device. On the contrary, an initial nuclear attack upon the United States may very well utilize a "suitcase" nuke – possibly a thermonuclear device at that. Only our insistence upon convincing ourselves that our terrorist enemies are imbeciles keeps us from acknowledging the fact that their "Manhattan Project" may be a bit more efficient, clandestine, and specific than had our own.

Grid computing technology, the black market, and common old-fashioned ingenuity ensure that those who hate do not have to resort to the bureaucracies of those who enjoy peace. They need not employ safeguards, Ivy-league scientists, or conservative designs to affect their goals. Their hatred of all things American will give them the incentive required to produce technological leaps that will astound academia. How can we protect ourselves? Our federal government is only now beefing up our counter-WMD forces. What we, the citizens of this great nation, can do is to arm ourselves and whenever we come across any terrorist threatening our existence we can kill them in the crossfire. After which, we can nuke their supporters back to the Stone Age.

(Leave your comments or questions and Mr. Godlewski will respond)

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Comments

[Aurora]

Thanks Debbie, I'll check that out.

[Debbie]

Aurora and Michael: That's what Mr. Godlewski is all about -- everyone being prepared. He writes the Independent Counterterrorist Training Manuel that is posted here at Right Truth. Check out the right sidebar for the link.

[Aurora]

Excellent article. I hope it is widely read and that Americans take note. This is a very real possibility. Especially if you feel you must live in one of these cities. It's essential to be fully prepared for this kind of thing.
Incidentally I don't believe it's only American cities which are at risk.
I like your comments that to assume our enemies are imbeciles is very dangerous. While many of the footsoldiers are perhaps uneducated and uninformed, the Islamic world has vast enough numbers to sport enough technologically-minded people to achieve all kinds of devastation. They hate us.

[Michael]

An attack on the Kennedy Space Center would be a tragedy.