US federal scientists play a large role in protecting the United States from a nuclear attack, routinely being placed in the field in an effort to find and disarm nuclear weapons, reports Security Management daily citing the Los Angeles Times.About every three days, unknown to most Americans, an elite team of federal scientists hits the streets in the fight against nuclear terrorism. And scientists fly in helicopters containing radiation detectors that search for signs of nuclear weapons and walk around major sporting events with instruments that can identify enriched uranium or plutonium. Although they have not uncovered any terrorist plots, experts say that they could be the last line of defense against a nuclear attack. Since 2001, the Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration has created 26 rapid-response teams designed to locate and defuse armed nuclear explosives.
In the meantime, the United States is retrieving and locking down nuclear fuels abroad, has created a line of radiation detectors at foreign and domestic ports, and has increased intelligence efforts.
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