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Explosives Expert
In August 2001, I was working with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency on a weapon to defeat tunnels. Then 9/11 happened. I was told to take my "best guess" in thermobaric explosive technology and weaponize it immediately to support Operation Enduring Freedom. My team -- nearly 100 scientists, engineers and technicians -- went from concept to manufacture of 11 new thermobaric bombs in only 67 days.
How did you motivate your team to make such a deadline?
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What could motivate you more than 9/11, the pictures of the Pentagon and the twin towers, the innocent people killed?
Was it risky?
If you make a mistake, somebody dies. People have to be well-trained and always work in pairs. Making explosives is like making a cake: You first pour the liquid ingredients into a big mixer, then add the solids . . . three huge blades go around as you keep adding ingredients. Mixing is the most dangerous part; it's done from a remote control room. Then you pour the dough into the warhead, and stick it in a gigantic oven to bake.
What exactly did you do as a formulator?
I came up with the recipe. I was in the room when you test the formulation [starting with smaller quantities] to gauge the sensitivity of the material to see if it's going to blow up in your face. Then the process engineers refine the process. Sometimes when we scaled up to hundreds or thousands of pounds, we'd have to change the formulation.
There have been discussions about arming bunker busters with nuclear weapons. What do you think of this strategy?
I can't comment on that.
What do you do now?
In 2006 I became a science advisor, honchoing technology issues for the deputy chief of naval operations (plans and strategies) and for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which investigates crimes on bases and ships and works on counterintelligence. . . . We catch spies. The TV show "NCIS" is based on it.
How accurate is the show?
With four kids, between cooking and helping with homework, I haven't had time to watch it.
How do you respond to critics?
People will ask why I'd utilize my intelligence and training to make explosives . . . but [rather than destruction], foremost in my mind is coming up with ways to protect our troops.
What do you talk about on the Discovery Channel's "Future Weapons" series?
The BLU-118/B thermobaric bomb that my team developed to penetrate tunnels in Afghanistan. The crew spent a whole day filming my work in a lab and in a manufacturing plant where we made the explosives.
