By Steve Ranger, 11 April 2006 11:40
NEWS
A science and technology centre designed to help tackle terrorist threats has been unveiled by the Ministry of Defence.
The Counter-Terrorism Science and Technology Centre will lead the MoD's scientific response to terrorist threats and threats faced by the armed forces in areas of conflict overseas.
Defence Secretary John Reid said in a statement: "This new centre will provide a world class hub to ensure government laboratories, industry and academia are used as efficiently as possible to enhance innovation and keep one step ahead of evolving terrorist threats."
The centre will co-ordinate and control the science and technology that underpins the MoD's counter-terrorism activity and will provide a 'one stop shop' for other government departments which use MoD expertise to tackle domestic terror threats.
The centre's director Ken Brigden said that as threats against the UK Armed Forces become increasingly sophisticated and diverse, science and technology advice plays an even more crucial role in the planning and preparation of military operations.
"This centre will be staffed by the very best MoD, academic and industry counter-terrorist technical experts with cutting edge expertise in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats. Terrorist threats evolve rapidly so the centre will respond, not just to current threats but also anticipate threats as they emerge and develop," he said in a statement.
Comments
There are 2 comments. Join the discussion
1. Martin Lukes
Effective terrorism is not sophisticated or technologically advanced and to think it is shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the problem. Is there anything sophisticated about a car bomb? A suicide bomber? Diesel and fertiliser in a milk churn? The tube bnombings? Flying an aircraft into a building?
The only sophisticated thing about terrorism lately has been the collusion of western governments in protecting the guilty and point the finger somewhere else.
Terrorism is not about James Bond-style Cold War mega threats, but about a fundamental lack of communication that "centres" of this kind perpetuate. You cannot defeat terrorism with technology.
You can, of course, get more defence budget allocation this way, and look really busy, which will do just as nicely for the salaried MoD jobsworths and well-guarded apartachiks involved in the project.
2. Richard
What an epitaph:
Thanks to Blair's wars and policies, we may have lost much of our productive industry but the UK is a "world class centre" of terrorism and surveillance.