Weapons of Mass Destruction
The term Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) refers to weapons that have the capacity to kill indiscriminately on a large scale and have enormous destructive capability. Broadly there are three main types of WMDs: nuclear weapons, biological weapons, and chemical weapons. These weapons, if used, have the ability to annihilate whole cities and wipe out entire populations. Non-military targets are not exempt from the horrors of these weapons. The most vulnerable sectors of a population, i.e. civilians and non-combatents, are always the most affected by WMD attacks. This can be seen in the dropping of nuclear bombs in Hiroshiman and Nagasaki in 1945.
The link below is a map created by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. It shows the confirmed and suspected stockpiles globaly of all three types of WMDs since 2007. For more information, see our Links/Resources Section.
Nuclear Weapons
A nuclear weapon is a weapon which derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions of fission or fusion. As a result, even a nuclear weapon with a small yield is significantly more powerful than the largest conventional explosives, and a single weapon is capable of destroying an entire city.
In the history of warfare, nuclear weapons have been used only twice, both during the closing days of World War II. The first event occurred on the morning of 6 August 1945, when the United States dropped a uranium gun-type device code-named "Little Boy" on
the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The second event occurred three days later when, again, the United States dropped a plutonium implosion-type device code-named "Fat Man" on the city of Nagasaki. The use of these weapons, which resulted in the immediate deaths of around 120,000 people and even more over time, was and remains controversial.
Since the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, nuclear weapons have been detonated on over two thousand occasions for testing and demonstration purposes. The only countries known to have detonated such weapons are (chronologically) the United States, The former Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, France, The People's Republic of China, India, Pakistan, and North Korea.
Various other countries may hold nuclear weapons but have never publicly admitted possession, or their claims to possession have not been verified. For example, Israel has modern airborne delivery systems and appears to have an extensive nuclear program with hundreds of warheads, though it officially maintains a policy of "ambiguity" with respect to its actual possession of nuclear weapons. According to some estimates, it possesses as many as 200 nuclear warheads. Iran currently stands accused by the United Nations of attempting to develop nuclear capabilities, though its government claims that its acknowledged nuclear activities, such as uranium enrichment, are for peaceful purposes. South Africa also secretly developed a small nuclear arsenal, but disassembled it in the early 1990s.
Chemical Weapons
Chemical weapons use the toxic properties of chemical substances rather than their explosive properties to produce physical or physiological effects on an enemy. There are two main ways in which chemical weapons work. Agents can attack the body through the skin, preferably also through clothing, and more preferably through protective clothing. Also, agents can penetrate or "break" a protective mask so that it no longer offers protection for a person's respiratory system. Increasing the toxicity of the chemical agent used would theoretically lower the amounts required to produce a battlefield effect. Unless this increase is significant, however, it can be masked by the inefficiencies of disseminating the agent. Consequently, later development has focused on the methods for delivering the agent efficiently to the target.
Although instances of what might be styled as chemical weapons date to antiquity, much of the lore of chemical weapons as viewed today has its origins in World War I. During that conflict "gas" (actually an aerosol or vapor) was used effectively on numerous occasions by both sides to alter the outcome of battles. A significant number of battlefield casualties were sustained. Chemical weapons were employed in the intervening period by Italy (in Ethiopia) and Japan (in Manchuria and China). Chemical
weapons were never deliberately employed by the Allies or the Axis during World War II, despite the accumulation of enormous stockpiles by both sides. Instances of employment of chemical weapons in local wars since then are arguable, although they were definitely used in the Iran-Iraq conflict of 1982-87.
Biological Weapons
Biological weapons deliver toxins and microorganisms, such as viruses and bacteria, so as to deliberately inflict disease among people, animals, and agriculture. Biological attacks can result in destruction of crops, temporarily discomforting a small community, killing large numbers of people, or other outcomes.
The way that a biological weapon is used depends on several factors. These include: the agent itself; its preparation; its durability in the environment; and route of infection. Some agents
can be disbursed as an aerosol, which can be inhaled or can infect a susceptible spot on the skin, like a cut or wound. Attackers can also contaminate food or water with some agents.
Biological weapons have a long history of use. In 1346, the invading Tartar army catapulted the bodies of plague victims into the Crimean Peninsula city of Kaffa and infected its citizens. In 1763, British troops under General Jeffrey Amherst gave the Delaware Indians blankets used by people with smallpox, possibly infecting the susceptible native population. Japan contaminated food and released plague-infected ticks during their conflict with China during World War II. The 2001 anthrax letter attacks in the United States infected 22 people and killed five.
