May 3, 2012: Japan has ordered another 19 AbleSentry NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) warning systems, for alerting troops about the presence of toxic materials. The AbleSentry sensors attempt to detect nuclear, biological, or chemical threats in small enough quantities so that nearby personnel can be warned to get their protective gear on before much damage is done. AbleSentry consists of a number of sensors placed around a facility and connected to a central control computer that determines if information from one or more sensors indicates a real threat or a false alarm. Japan had earlier (2005) ordered, and is currently using 24 of an older version of this system, called EBAWS. Japan needs AbleSentry for its counter-terrorism efforts.