Defense Threat Reduction Agency 

On the Web: www.dtra.mil 

Media Contact: 1 (703) 767-5870 

Last Updated: September 15, 2022 

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency 

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is both a Defense Agency and Combat Support Agency with two distinct 

yet highly integrated roles countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and emerging threats. Its origins stretch 

back to World War II and the Manhattan Project, but today the agency encompasses a wide variety of strategic and 

operational functions that deter, prevent, and ultimately prevail against these unique threats. 

MISSION 

DTRA enables the Department of Defense (DoD), the United States Government and international partners to counter 

and deter weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and emerging threats. 

WHO WE ARE 

Our experts bring a variety of skill sets and expertise, and a diverse range of perspectives to address critical 

challenges facing our nation. 

WHAT WE DO 

DTRA protects national security interests in a rapidly evolving, globalized threat environment through 

its trans-regional focus while enabling the understanding of our adversaries and providing solutions to 

WMD threats. 

WHO WE HELP 

Dual-roles as a defense agency and combat support agency, we support the U.S. Combatant Commanders and 

military services. 

CORE FUNCTIONS 

DTRA’s five core functions cover a wide variety of programs, projects, individual missions, and research and development 

efforts aimed at preventing the development or acquisition of WMD, the use of WMD, and responding to the use of 

WMD or an incident involving CBRN materials. The core functions are: 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FACT SHEET PAGE - 2 

Ensuring a reliable, resilient strategic deterrent through nuclear surety, mission assurance, and crisis response

activities. 

• DTRA supports the U.S. nuclear deterrent through nuclear readiness and modernization, mission assurance, force 

preparedness and response, and treaty verification. In an evolving and complex geopolitical environment, the Agency 

is dedicated to maintaining a reliable strategic deterrent while increasing the resiliency of our Joint 

Force capabilities. 

Developing and delivering novel capabilities to the warfighter across the threat spectrum. 

• DTRA’s portfolio contains critical technologies that enable the Joint Force to disrupt, defeat, disable, and 

dispose of WMD threats and advance deterrence against WMD through cross-cutting technologies for the 

USG, our Allies, and partners. 

• Capabilities developed by the Agency address our intelligence community’s hardest problem sets, the posture of the 

Joint Force, and the inspection and detection mechanisms that underpin international stability. 

Preventing, reducing and eliminating CBRN threats through risk reduction, arms control, partner capacity 

building and warfighter support. 

• Agency activities improve our ability to interdict WMD proliferation and secure vulnerable WMD materials 

through cooperative threat reduction, treaty implementation and verification, and partner capacity building. 

• China, Russia, and North Korea have confirmed WMD stockpiles and all seek to undermine U.S. and allied 

interests. DTRA provides support to Joint Force operations focused on integrated deterrence and denying the 

benefits of coercion and aggression. 

• By combining cutting-edge technology with sustained engagement and security cooperation initiatives, DTRA 

improves U.S. and partner nation ability to mitigate the threats posed by nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. 

Providing strategic and operational support through subject matter expertise reachback, tailored

technical analysis, and exercise support. 

• DTRA enhances the Department’s ability to counter revisionist powers’ foreign influence and military forces 

across the globe. 

• China and Russia seek to degrade established U.S. relationships while expanding and modernizing their WMD 

capabilities to exploit U.S. and allied vulnerabilities. 

• Agency subject matter experts, analysts, planners, and strategists examine scenarios related to potential future 

conflicts with WMD-capable adversaries and emerging WMD threats. 

Further, DTRA assesses developments among scientific disciplines, technologies, and materials that may shape or 

advance WMD threats and opportunities, including strategic and operational analyses focused on National and 

Departmental priorities. 

Supporting combatant commands with plans, concepts, exercises and materiel solutions to address CBRN 

operational risks. 

• The Agency provides the Joint Force, Allies, and partners with unique insight into adversary WMD force posture, 

doctrine, and systems. In particular, DTRA examines how potential adversaries plan to employ and integrate WMD 

during conflict. DTRA activities and resources equip U.S. and allied forces to overcome operational challenges in a 

WMD battlespace. 

• The risks and consequences of conflicts with WMD-armed adversaries are mitigated by developing counter-WMD 

technical solutions, highlighting WMD warfighting challenges and adversary vulnerabilities through strategic and 

operational analysis, and supporting DoD plans and exercises focused on countering WMD threats. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FACT SHEET PAGE - 3 

AGENCY DIRECTOR LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES 

While the functions identify what DTRA does, the Director’s Priorities identify how: 

Team Oriented 

This Agency is large, complex, diverse, multifaceted, and dispersed, but we must still aspire to be 

a single cohesive team. We will emphasize transparency and open lines of communication as the 

foundation of teamwork. Historical stovepipes must be replaced with Agency-wide integration 

impacting our ability to anticipate customer needs during crisis, synchronize our considerable 

resources to increase effectiveness, and working with key partners where our purposes align. 

People Centric 

People are the most valuable resource in an organization. We have a unique body of capabilities, 

well-suited to tackle the dynamic WMD challenges on the horizon. The Agency can maximize the 

strategic impact of its human capital through innovative partnerships, both internal and external. 

By embracing our individual capacity to advance shared goals, we will achieve our mission and 

realize the vision of fewer WMD threats. 

Mission Focused 

Everything we do at DTRA comes down to one thing: protecting the American people and our way of 

life. We must prevent, reduce, and counter current and emerging WMD threats, sustain a safe, secure, 

and effective nuclear deterrent, and enable the Joint Force, Allies, and partners to compete and win 

against WMD-armed adversaries. It is a complex and dynamic mission because of the nature of the 

CWMD challenge – from adversary conceptualization and development of innovative WMD threats 

to U.S. forces’ mitigation and recovery from those threats. 

Connect with us: 

DTRA website: www.dtra.mil 

DTRA News: 

www.dtra.mil/newsandmedia Phone: 

703-767-5870 

Follow us on social: 

Facebook: Defense Threat Reduction 

Agency Twitter: @doddtra 

YouTube: @doddtra 

Instagram: @doddtra