Defense Threat Reduction Agency

Overview Brief

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The Defense Threat Reduction Agency

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency enables the Department of Defense 

(DoD), U.S. Government, and International Partners to counter and deter 

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and Emerging Threats. 

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The Agency 

has evolved 

over 80 

years to 

incorporate 

additional 

missions 

and 

complexity 

that directly 

impact U.S. 

national 

1947-1959 security. Armed Forces 

Special Weapons Project

Deterrence, Survivability o Weapon custody

o Operational Storage

o Weapons Effects Testing

1959-1971

Defense Atomic 

Support Agency

o Nuclear effects research and testing

o Force modernization

o Limited Test Ban Treaty Research, Modeling

1971-1996

Defense Nuclear 

Agency

o Operational Support

o Cooperative Threat Reduction Initiated

o End of Nuclear Testing

Counter-proliferation

Arms Control Implementation/Verification

1996-1998

Defense Special 

Weapons Agency

Non-nuclear development, WMD Nonproliferation

o Post-Cold War environment

o Joint Science Programs, munitions 

effects, hard targets

o Nuclear Stockpile Stewardship

o Sustain nuclear deterrent

o Growing non-, counterproliferation missions

o Increased Arms Control Implem/Verif

o Rapid capability delivery 

o Chemical and Biological Defense

WMD Terrorism, Counter Improvised Threats

Where We Come From

Agency Evolution

3

1941-1947

Manhattan Engineering 

District 

o Initial atomic weapons program Weapons Development

2016 

Incorporated JIDO

1998

DTRA Established

2020

Divested C-IED, C-sUAS;

Incorporated NAG CWMD & Emerging Threats

o Support Nuclear Deterrence

o Support U.S. treaty implement/verification activities

o Drive Efforts to Reduce WMD/Emerging threats

o ID vulnerabilities & mitigation strategies

o Deliver capabilities to address WMD/Emerging Threats

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Strategic Guidance

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SECDEF priorities in the 2022 National Defense Strategy (and 

under the 2021 Interim National Security Strategic Guidance) 

• Defending the homeland, paced to the multi-domain threat of the 

People’s Republic of China

• Deterring strategic attacks against the U.S., Allies, and partners

• Deterring aggression (but prepared to prevail in conflict) 

• Building a resilient Joint Force and defense ecosystem

The DoD will advance its goals 

through three primary ways:

• Integrated deterrence

• Campaigning

• Building enduring advantages 

“The cornerstone of America’s defense is still deterrence, ensuring 

that our adversaries understand the folly of outright conflict.” 

- Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III

“The U.S. must tend to the alliance system and modernize and 

cultivate it.... [the] concept of integrated deterrence will be 

cornerstone to that approach” 

- Colin Kahl, USD(P)
5

USD(A&S)

ASD(NCB)

Legend

Task & Mission Authority (Hierarchical or Program Specific)

Budget Submission Responsibility

Coordinating Mission

U.S. Interagency International Partners

USD(P)

ASD(SP)

USD(I&S)

DoD

USD(R&E)

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DTRA

CCMD

Services CJCS

Detect. Deter. Defeat.

SECDEF

U.S. Policy Goals and Objectives 

Drive Our Mission
DTRA Core Functions

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Identify Vulnerabilities 

and Mitigation 

Strategies

Enable Strategic 

Deterrence

Develop and Deliver 

Rapid Capabilities

Partner to Reduce 

Global WMD Threats

Support U.S. Treaty 

Implementation and 

Verification

DTRA leverages the breadth of our core functions to provide tailored and agile solutions to

Detect, Deter, and Defeat WMD and Emerging Threats

As a Defense Agency, we... As a Combat Support Agency, we...
A Unique, Specialized Workforce

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DTRA’s workforce is an integrated mix of personnel from government, military, and industry, blending a 

variety of skillsets at the individual and organizational level.

• Conventional and SOF Experience

• Counter Improvised Threats 

Experience

• Cross Domain Experience

• Access/Ownership of ACCMs

• Specialized 

Logistics/Transportation Expertise 

for CBRN Material

• Cyber Experts

• Computer Programmers

• Data Scientists

• Data Visualization 

Experts

• Chemists

• Engineers

• Physicists

• Biologists

• CBRN 

Specialists

• Counter 

Proliferation 

Experts

• Arms Control 

Experts

• Physical 

Security Experts

• Nuclear Safety 

Specialists

• Nuclear 

Weapons 

Specialists

• Program/Project/Grant Managers

• Contracting and Acquisition Specialists

• Treaty Linguists

• Linguists with Fluency in 

WMD Technical 

Vocabulary

• Cross regional/Functional 

Expertise

• CWMD Planners

• CCMD/Joint Planners

• Exercise Planners

• Emergency Managers

• Threat Network 

Methodology Experts

• Supply Chain Analysis 

Experts

• Quantitative/Pattern 

Analysis Experts

• Foreign Area Officer Expertise

• Diplomatic Expertise

• Negotiation Experience

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Organization

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Director

Strategic Integration (SI)

Mr. Hunter Lutinski,

SES

Director 

Operations and 

Integration (OI)

Mr. Kyle Lampela, SES

Director

On-Site Inspection & 

Building Capacity (OB)

Mr. David Musgrave, SES

Director

Cooperative Threat 

Reduction (CT)

Dr. Robert Pope, SES

Director

Human Resources (HR)

COL Christine Enriquez,

USA

Director

Nuclear Enterprise (NE)

Brig Gen John 

Edwards, USAF

CIO and Director 

Information Management

& Technology (IT)

Mr. Mario Vizcarra, SES

Director

Acquisition, Contracts

& Logistics (AL)

Ms. Lisa Swan, SES

Acting Director 

Research & 

Development (RD)

Dr. Ronald Hann, SES

General Counsel (GC)

Mr. Craig Miller, SES

Chief of Staff (CS)

Ms. AmalieZeitoun

Operational 

Directorates

Mission Support 

Directorates & 

Staff Offices 

Command Senior Enlisted 

Leader (EL)

CSM Brant Shyrigh, USA

Director (DIR)

Ms. Rebecca Hersman, SES

Deputy Director (DDIR)

RDML Ryan Scholl, USN

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Staff Offices

Chief

Equity, Diversity & 

Inclusion (EI)

Ms. Willisa Donald

Chief

Inspector

General(IG)

Mr. John Neal

Chief

Legislative 

Affairs (LA)

LTC Latisha Phillips

Chief

Environmental, Safety &

Occupational Health (ES)

Ms. Sherry Davis
USD (A&S) 

CBDP 

$1,395.0M

(Funds managed

by DTRA)

O&M

$922.485

CBDP S&T

$439.488

RDT&E

$634.930

CTR

$239.849

P, DW

$12.799

Multiple Funding Streams

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Program

FY21 Enacted

($M)

FY22 

PB1 ($M) 

Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) 360.2 230.8

Research, Development, Test & 

Evaluation (RDT&E) 594.1 634.9

Operations & Maintenance (O&M) 909.9 922.5

Procurement, Defense-Wide (P,DW) 12.7 12.8

Military Construction (MILCON) 46.6 0

Total DTRA 1,923.5 1,810.1

Joint Science & Technology Office 

Chemical Biological (JSTO/CB) 443.7 439.5

Total non-DTRA 443.7 439.5

Total Executed by DTRA 2,367.2 2,249.6

DTRA FY22 Request

1 Excludes fenced program

Total Executed by DTRA = Total DTRA Request $1.810B + CBDP S&T $439.488M

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Weapons of Mass Destruction and 

Emerging Threats

Detect. Deter. Defeat.