Running head: WEAPONS OF MASSIVE DESTRUCTION 1

Weapons of Massive Destruction

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The ever growing industry in weapons technology has created an arena for disputes and

national security threats. The continued production of weapons of mass destruction has become

one of the major concerns of the government and the armed forces not only in the USA but

globally. Massive production of weapons has led to the rise of aggressive non-state actors which

has attracted the interest of various national domains in the battle against terrorism. The ease at

which terrorists access weapons of massive destruction continuously poses a threat to the welfare

of the United States. This paper will thus be examining the likelihood of non-state actors

acquiring weapons of mass destruction while coexisting either in the United States or in a foreign

country.

Currently, various terrorist groups are menace to the United States AL Qaeda being the

most famous one. Although the militiamen may attack the country less catastrophically, the

danger is more real and complex today than it was a decade ago. The terrorists' groups have spies

across the country which means they can kill hundreds of Americans in one attack. Militants

have become even harder to trace as some of the nationals have affiliated themselves with the

groups and making contributions towards terror missions across the country (Bergen et al.,

2011). The influence of major terrorist groups is seen in different parts of the world. For

instance, Al Qaeda's ideology is evident in the jihadists groups thriving in South Asia. Some of

the unsuccessful attacks to the Americans are arguably from the jihadists.

During the early 2000s, the term "WMD" was widespread across the world. The United

Nations minted the term in 1948 as a whole-some term for nuclear, biological, and chemical

weapons (Mauroni, 2010). The term, however, faded due to abuse from politics. In today's

world, the term WMD carries different meaning depending on the agency using it. One of the

most common definitions of WMD today is that it is a nuclear, biological, Or a chemical weapon
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that causes high order of destruction. WMD have previously been deployed causing thousands of

deaths. For example, the invasion of Iraq left thousands of people dead and billions of dollars

spent. The attack on Iraq sparked debates that led to cold relationships between nations. Despite

the differing positions on the value of war, the distinction of WMD remained uncontested

(Archer, 2004).

Recently, there has emerged a new generation of terrorists who are known as lone

wolves. The lone wolves operate in under the radar and expand their system to another group of

terrorists known as autonomous cell terrorists. In 2015, lone wolves were declared the greatest

terrorist threat that America was facing (Kaplan et al., 2017). These terrorists can cooperate

while still operating independently. The lone wolves and autonomous cells are a threat while

trying to gather their intelligence or counter their actions. They recruit and radicalize people

through social media. It is tough for the lone wolves and autonomous cells to get access to

chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons of mass destruction (Ellis,

2014). CBRN are often stored in highly secured areas where such people cannot access them.

Therefore, the lone wolves and autonomous cells opt for CBRN found in less secure areas. The

less secure place include the damps of industrial chemicals and other radioactive materials. By

using these waste materials, the lone wolves and autonomous cells can recreate their kind of

WMD which they use for mass casualties.

Terrorism is a phenomenon that poses a danger to the nation and the world as a whole.

Terrorism refers to a deliberate, planned application of force or a threat to trigger fear through

which the ideologies of the terrorists are to be met (Vičar, 2011). The general unprotected public

is the primary target of terrorists as it is the easiest target to aim. Lately, there has been an

increased interest in terrorists' use of chemical and biological warfare agents. Ease of accessing
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technical information and technological materials has made it possible for terrorists to

manufacture their sophisticated weapons. Easy access to chemical and biological agents also

attracts terrorists as it makes the production of weapons easier. Using chemicals and biological

agents during an attack is of high efficiency as only a small amount of the agents is used to cause

a massive loss. An example of such an attack is the Tokyo subway attack. The terror attack

occurred on 20th March 1995 (Vičar, 2011). Sarin, a chemical agent was used by terrorists to

attack unprotected civilians. Aum Shinrikyo, a religious cult, applied technical means using

chemical agents to achieve its terror aims (Vičar, 2011).

Although there are questions that raise the difference between various weapons classified

as WMD, there also exists questions that ask the reason as to why a weapon is classified as a

WMD. For instance, "are WMD weapons that are owned by groups or states that people do not

approve of? Nevertheless, weapons that are really terrible have come to be known as WMD

despite the effort of trying to refer them to as CBRN.

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Reference

Bergen, P., Hoffman, B., & Tiedemann, K. (2011). Assessing the jihadist terrorist threat to

America and American interests. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 34(2), 65-101.

Ellis, P. D. (2014). Lone wolf terrorism and weapons of mass destruction: An examination of

capabilities and countermeasures. Terrorism and Political Violence, 26(1), 211-225.

Kaplan, J., Lööw, H., & Malkki, L. (Eds.). (2017). Lone Wolf and Autonomous Cell Terrorism.

Routledge.

Mauroni, A. (2010). Homeland insecurity: Thinking about CBRN terrorism. Homeland Security

Affairs, 6(3), 1-17.

oby Archer, T. A. (2004). The emperor has some clothes on: fairy tales, scary tales and Weapons

of Mass Destruction.

VIČAR, D., & VIČAR, R. (2011). CBRN TERRORISM: A CONTRIBUTION TO THE

ANALYSIS OF RISKS. Journal of Defense Resources Management, 2(2).