Naval Postgraduate School

Stemming the Flow of Improvised Explosive Device Making Materials Through Global Export Control Regimes Naval Postgraduate School

Publisher Marketing: The effects of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) continue to be felt throughout the world, and especially in battlefields, such as Afghanistan. The United States currently leads the counter-IED effort through various demand side efforts, such as those led by JIEDDO and Project Global Shield. The purpose of this work was to determine the feasibility of a new supply-side effort to counter IEDs through global export control similar to the multilateral export control regimes of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and missile technologies. A comparative method was used that utilized the existing regime literature for success and effectiveness, and then measured those regimes against six variables that focused on technology, as well as the organizations, which provided the framework to determine the success and feasibility of a new regime that focuses on lower technology items. The results show that although IEDs continue to be a presence throughout the world, it lacks the grander threat similar to that of WMD technology to make a new regime successful. Further, the results show that IED technology and material are difficult to classify and track, which makes global export control efforts extremely difficult.