ABSTRACT
The potential development and deployment of nuclear weapons by a rogue nation or terrorist group has heightened public interest since the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center. This chapter illustrates that an enormous capital investment, a high level of industrialization, and a highly educated work force are necessary for the successful development of a nuclear weapon. The processing steps for the production and refinement of nuclear materials and basic weapons design will be reviewed. Also, the production of radioisotopes and how they may be exploited in a radiological dispersion device (RDD), or dirty bomb, will be discussed.
