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The Importance Of Threats To The United States

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The current and greatest threats to the United States are chemical and biological weapons because of the difficulty in detection, the element of surprise and the mass casualty scenarios they would pose. “Chemicals present an attractive weapon for terrorists because they are easy to control, and unlike biological weapons, the users can avoid the area they attack” (White, 2017, p. 107). Hurricane Harvey, its damage to an organic peroxide plant and the subsequent hazardous emissions from it is a current event example of the dangers and vulnerabilities of hazardous material production in the United States. “Chemical agents can cause significant morbidity, are relatively inexpensive, and are easy to store and use” (Chalela & Burnett, 2012). Therefore, terrorist look at vulnerable chemical plants and the distribution of these chemicals via railways and highways as a viable target to cause a large-scale mass causality event that could quickly overwhelm critical infrastructures. …show more content…

“Bioterrorism is not only a reality of the times in which we live but bioweapons have been used for centuries” (Christian, 2013). Biological warfare is a high impact, asymmetrical threat in which the weapon can fit in a small test tube. “Critical care physicians play a major role in the recognition of and response to a bioterrorism attack” (Christian, 2013). Silent weapons such as infectious diseases like smallpox and poisons like ricin are viewed by terrorist as an ideal weapon to create

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