Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) ALC Staff Function and OP Aspects Practice Test 2026 - Free CBRN Practice Questions and Study Guide

The main idea here is understanding nuclear proliferation through illicit networks. Abdul Qadeer Khan built and ran a clandestine network that used front companies and middlemen to obtain and ship sensitive nuclear equipment, materials, and designs. This network supplied centrifuge technology and other know-how to countries like Iran, North Korea, and Libya, enabling them to pursue weaponization. That kind of black-market activity directly threatens the U.S. and its allies by broadening the set of states capable of developing nuclear weapons.

The other scientists are renowned for legitimate scientific work in their eras: Einstein contributed theoretical foundations and played a historic role in urging research into nuclear energy, but he did not operate an illicit proliferation network; Fermi helped advance nuclear physics and participated in early U.S. weapons research within formal programs, not through clandestine transfers; Mendeleev is known for creating the periodic table long before nuclear technology existed and had no involvement in nuclear proliferation.