Nuclear Weapons Of Mass Destruction

The fear of a Chemical or Biological attack has been a concern to many governments. These attacks, either by state agencies or individuals, have caused loss of life and the United States has not been spared in this forms of attacks.

Bioterrorism presents a very unique threat to the United States. A biological attack can be hard to immediately detect and poses many collection challenges to the Intelligence Community. A small vial of anthrax can go undetected in the pocket of an individual through an airport, government facility, or one of the many other areas that usually have significant security designed to prevent conventional terrorist attacks. A small amount of a biological agent can do a significant amount of damage. How can the Intelligence Community counter bioterrorism threats? This is the question this research paper aims to answer.

Imagine this: you wake up hours before your alarm sounds to find your entire neighborhood in chaos; people running, robbing banks and stores, and bodies are littering the once calm streets. Over the night, a government-run biological experiment dealing with germ weapons had been released, infecting, destroying, and causing panic across the globe. As a single, globalized society, we need to heighten our security against biological weapons and biological terror to prevent the endangerment of mankind. It would be most beneficial to our species if we did not try to use or experiment with biological weapons, seeing as they are engineered specifically to create social, economic, governmental, military, and general fear and disruption. Bioterror

Guns, knives, and conventional explosives have so far remained the weapons of choice for most terrorists; however, recently terrorist have gone to the tactics of using vehicles as well, since such weapons can cause many casualties and are relatively easy to acquire and use. But some terrorist groups now show interest in acquiring the capability to use chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) materials [Federal Emergency Management Agency, (July 2002)]. It is difficult to predict the likelihood of a CBRN attack, but most experts agree that today's terrorists are seeking the ability to use such agents in order to cause mass casualties [Federal Emergency Management Agency, (July 2002)]. Cyber-attacks are often considered in the same context with CBRN. Respectable experts have published sobering scenarios about the potential impact of a successful cyber-attack on the United States. Already, hackers and criminals have exploited some of our vulnerabilities [National Research Council. (2007)]. Terrorists are making extensive use of the new information technologies, and a conventional terrorist attack along with a coordinated cyber-attack could exponentially compound the damage [National Research Council. (2007)]. This changing nature of the terrorist threat raises the stakes in getting American counterterrorist policies and practices

On October 20th, 2001, Joseph Curseen, a postal worker in Washington D.C., went to work like any other day. Mr. Curseen was a hard worker who had never missed work, even for a sick day, since joining the postal service fifteen years earlier. Sadly, that was about to change. By that night, Mr. Curseen was in the hospital and two days later he was pronounced dead. The cause: anthrax. While this quick turn of events came as a shock to the people in his life, Mr. Curseen’s story was not unheard of. In fact, cases like his were appearing almost every day, and it was soon discovered that anthrax had been placed in letters sent via the postal service in a direct attempt to harm people. This act of terrorism alarmed the world. While government officials and the media discussed bombings, shootings, and hijackings, biological agents were not a focus of attention. The 2001 anthrax attacks were the first successful attempt by a person or a group of people to use weaponized anthrax in a terrorist attack, rather than in warfare. People suddenly became aware of another horrible form of terrorism, bioterrorism, that now posed a serious threat to our society. The 2001 anthrax attacks particularly highlighted the dangers of anthrax and the toxins it releases into a host’s cells, demonstrating the widespread effects that anthrax and other bioterrorist weapons could have on a country.

Ever since World War two we have feared destruction and what could be the aftermath of nuclear bombs. We had a whole era in history to dedicate being terrified of weapons of mass destruction. We had bomb drills, duck and cover drills. The United States had TV drills if an attack were to happen on United States soil. For many Americans this was not hysteria, but a reality that could happen.

The modern use of chemical weapons has been used since World War I. By using poisonous gas to inflict suffering and significant casualties. For example, chlorine, phosgene, and mustard gas were used to inflict burns on the skin or as a choking agent. Since the time of World War I, chemical weapons have impacted more than a million deaths. But, there are weapons of mass destruction in place used by terrorists. Weapons of mass destruction include Nuclear, biological, radiological, and explosives. One weapon of mass destruction can destroy a whole city, killing millions and clearing all future generations by using a Nuclear weapon; the most dangerous weapon on earth. Even though, nuclear weapons have been only used twice in warfare of Hiroshima

Chemical attacks conducted by Aum Shinrikyo in 1995 and the Iraqi government against the Kurdish people in the late 1980s have not had a significant impact on counterterrorism preparedness against chemical weapons in the United States. Even though Aum Shinrikyo had a level of expertise with chemical agents and the ability to produce them, it was proven that attacks of this nature are easy to carry out but difficult to gain the desired effect from. Initially, Aum thought their attack would kill thousands if not more however the generally poor quality of the sarin gas coupled with the inadequate dispersal devices degraded the attack’s effectiveness significantly (A case study on the Aum Shinrikyo, 1995, Sect 5, Para 3). Since this was the most effective chemical attack conducted by a non-state actor, one can readily see the difficulties involved in effectively dispersing gas, even in a relatively enclosed area. It is exactly these difficulties experienced by the Japanese terrorists that have led America into a relative calm over a threat of chemical terrorism as it would likely prove relatively ineffective in the absence of direct assistance from another nation.

Weapons of mass destruction, or WMDs, are, according to the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission (WMDC), “the most inhumane of all weapons and are rightly called weapons of mass destruction and weapons of terror” (WMDC 2006 p 229). Primary regulatory efforts geared toward controlling the attainment, maintenance, and use of weapons of mass destruction is extremely important and is regulated by international law. Treaties and agreements are initiated and enforced through entities like the United Nations and other governmental and non-governmental agencies as attempts to keep WMDs out of the hands of certain groups and individuals while enforcing responsible measures of those who currently possess them.

The role of the public health community will play a vital role in a radiological threat to a major metropolitan area. Therefore, the public health community would be responsible for providing a shelter in place or evacuation decisions, identifying exposed populations, decontamination processes, safety requirements of the responders and the physical care of exposed patients (Katz, n.d.). However, the local public health community would be overwhelmed, short staffed and undertrained for an event of this magnitude and would require a multi-agency response from the federal and state government. Communications and coordination are an essential to the response of a radiological weapon or any other type of Weapon of Mass Destruction

To understand the threat that is posed by weapons of mass destruction (WMD), what defines a WMD must first be understood. The definition and use of WMD is covered by 18 U.S. Code § 2332a - Use of weapons of mass destruction. The term “weapon of mass destruction” is defined as any destructive device that is further defined under section 921. Under section 921, a destructive device is anything that has explosive, incendiary, or poison gas properties. 18 U.S. Code § 2332a - Use of weapons of mass destruction expands further by defining a WMD as any type of weapon that is designed to cause death or serious injury by release, dissemination, or impact by nuclear, biological, or chemical means. The legal code also covers weapons that release dangerous levels of radiation. Under FBI guidelines, the term WMD is used to describe a collection of modalities that include: chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive and is over referred to as CBRNE.

Weapons of mass destruction, or WMDs for short, are nuclear, biological or chemical weapons "that is designed or intended to cause [widespread] death or serious bodily injury" (Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction). Many countries use them as a deterrent of war, and as a potential form of retaliation. However, the construction, possession, and usage of WMDs could possibly be the most self-destructive thing humanity has ever done because they lead to nothing but death and destruction, as evidenced by the U.S. bombing or Japan in WW2, the Iraqi chemical warfare against the Kurds, and and the Soviet Union's massive biological warfare program.

Weapons of mass destruction include chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE) materials. Terrorist may decide to use them independently or combine hazards to create a larger attack. While terrorist attacks are usually targeted at humans, CBRN materials can also affect animals and the environment (containment soil and water). A chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear “attack against people could be used to cause illness, death, fear, societal disruption, and economic damage. An attack on agricultural plants and animals would primarily cause economic damage, loss of confidence in the food supply,” and possibly deaths for animals and humans (Forest & Howard, 2013, p. 113). If the soil and water are not properly decontaminated, it can also cause many long term health related issues in humans and

In this world there is an extreme multitude of weapons that cause mass destruction. These weapons range from biological attacks such as anthrax, nuclear weapons such as those with radioactive warheads, and especially those with inter-continental ability, or even chemical weapons such as nerve or respiratory agents that can stop one’s nervous system, or their respiratory system as well as shut down other vital body functions. With so many types of WMDs in the world there must be a way to contain them. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has addressed this by attempting to control who can get these kind of weapons. The chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons (CBRN) must be contained for the safety of the public. This

National security considerations regarding the spread of disease, and potential epidemics, and potential environmental difficulties overlap with what is presently the most significant U.S. national security concern and that is the threat of international terrorism. The genuine threat of bioterrorism means that disease related concerns and environmental concerns overlap with potential threats involving terrorism. This concern is enhanced by the possibility that terrorist organizations may be able to obtain biologically dangerous materials, and use these for destructive purposes. For example, in the early 2000s the United