FBI Counterproliferation Center

FBI Counterproliferation Center

To combat the proliferation of weapons—both conventional and weapons of mass destruction—that threaten the U.S., the FBI established a Counterproliferation Center in July 2011. The overarching purpose of the Center is to detect, deter, and defeat the threat posed by state-sponsored groups, individuals, and organizations attempting to acquire weapons of mass destruction or other sensitive technologies.

The Center, a component of our National Security Branch, integrates the long-standing experience and institutional knowledge of our Counterintelligence Division’s counterproliferation program with the investigative and scientific expertise of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate and the analytical capabilities of the Directorate of Intelligence. It gives our field investigators a central point of contact for all things counterproliferation-related. It also allows us to work seamlessly with our federal law enforcement and U.S. Intelligence Community partners, many of whom have their own counterproliferation entities.

All FBI investigations concerning counterproliferation will be managed by the Counterproliferation Center, including those involving attempts to acquire information and technologies that would enhance a foreign government’s ability to create, use, share, or sell weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive), missile delivery systems, and/or space or advanced conventional weapons or components. Center personnel will also work to identify critical intelligence gaps in the current threat environment, look at proliferation threats emerging on the horizon, and develop strategies to ensure that the FBI continues to be well-positioned to address the counterproliferation threats of today and into the future.

Preventing the illicit transfer of WMD materials, technology, and knowledge requires close coordination with our U.S. government partners. So in addition to coordinating with other agency counterproliferation centers, we will also work closely with the National Counterproliferation Center of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

For more on the FBI Counterproliferation Center, go to the “FBI, This Week” podcast.