Defusing Armageddon: Inside NEST, America's Secret Nuclear Bomb Squad, by Jeffrey T. Richelson (HC,2009, $3)
During the Cold War, the U. S. became concerned that the Soviets would try to smuggle in a nuclear weapon, or that one of the nuclear bombs we lost after a military plane crash would explode. And what about nuclear satellites that crashed? Coming later were the concerns over Al-Qaeda and other international terrorists. Most of us never knew that in 1974 NEST (Nuclear Emergency Support Team), a secret team of scientists and technicians, was formed to respond to any nuclear threat against America.
This book's final chapters explore " the impact of 9/11 on NEST (including its controversial monitoring of Muslim sites in the United States), the team's interaction with secret military units such as Delta Force, its foreign exploits (which include responding to the apparent detection of radiation on a ship passing through Sri Lanka), its possible employment to help in securing nuclear weapons in Pakistan, and the challenges ahead."
Wow, now that is a dangerous job! Look for this book in the general non-fiction section.
