The responsibility for investigating and countering terror threats against U.S. targets has long rested with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The unique nature of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, however, have necessitated contingency planning that transcend any one agency's jurisdiction, should terrorists ever attempt to employ such weapons against the United States.

The Nuclear Emergency Search Team (NEST), part of the Department of Energy, was formed in 1975 in anticipation of just such a threat. Their responsibilities are threefold; first, to investigate possible cases of threatened nuclear terrorism. Second, if the threat proves credible, to locate the nuclear device. Third, to disarm or contain the device and its nuclear material. At all levels, NEST works with appropriate local, state and federal agencies, including the FBI, CIA, and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), as circumstances dictate.

In the early years of NEST's existence, the...