DTRA programmes include basic science research and development , operational support to United States warfighters on the front line and an in-house WMD think tank that aims to anticipate and mitigate future threats long before they have a chance to harm the United States , allies and partner nations . The United States Strategic Command Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction ( SCC-WMD ) is co-located with DTRA headquarters and synchronizes efforts to combat WMD across the United States military 's geographic commands , leveraging people ( skill sets ) programmes and inter-agency relationships of DTRA at a global strategic level .