Setting the context
AfPak Channel contributor Shaun Gregory’s article in the CTC Sentinel on Pakistan’s nuclear security has sparked a debate about three attacks on Pakistan’s nuclear facilities. Shuja Nawaz and Peter Bergen have both contributed to the discussion, which is continued below with a comment from the editor of the CTC Sentinel. Dr. Shaun Gregory’s article in ...
AfPak Channel contributor Shaun Gregory’s article in the CTC Sentinel on Pakistan’s nuclear security has sparked a debate about three attacks on Pakistan’s nuclear facilities. Shuja Nawaz and Peter Bergen have both contributed to the discussion, which is continued below with a comment from the editor of the CTC Sentinel.
Dr. Shaun Gregory’s article in the CTC Sentinel examines how Pakistan secures its nuclear weapons, while also addressing a number of security weaknesses. A paragraph in the article references three attacks on Pakistan’s nuclear facilities. When read in context, the purpose of referencing these three incidents is to demonstrate the importance of improving Pakistan’s nuclear security. Considering that militants have already launched attacks at or outside facilities known or suspected to be involved with the country’s nuclear program, the risk exists that a more complex attack could make nuclear weapons infrastructure sites vulnerable to a number of hazards. These hazards are identified in the article.
Several media outlets have taken this paragraph out of context. The effect has been to suggest that three attacks with the objective to steal nuclear weapons have already occurred. Dr. Gregory did not state that the objectives of these three attacks were to steal a nuclear weapon, nor should the article be read as implying such.
Erich Marquardt is the editor of the CTC Sentinel.
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