United States Preparedness Against Chemical Weapons of Mass Destruction Threats

United States Preparedness against Chemical Weapons of Mass Destruction Threats
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United States Preparedness against Chemical Weapons of Mass Destruction Threats
Introduction
The United States and the rest of the world remain under constant threat of Chemical, Biological, Radiation, and Nuclear (CBRN) use by terrorists as weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Tin et al. (2023) highlight chemical agent attacks as one of the leading issues of concern in the United States because of the ease of acquiring chemicals for formulating and implementing attacks. The author reveals that among the various CBRN weapons, chemicals represent the most used ones, with statistics confirming that they constitute up to 434 of the 565 reported CBRN attacks. Gupta (2020) acknowledges that the threat can arise from state or other non-state actors, making preparedness for such an eventuality fundamental for the U.S. as part of its homeland security. The recognition by international bodies of the adverse consequences of attacks prompted the formulation of legal agreements prohibiting chemical weapons globally. Gupta (2020) underlines the Geneva Protocol of 1925 as one of these documents that seeks to address and deter the use of chemical weapons. Its existence has been a notable deterrent approach that has compelled many nations, including the U.S., to initiate the process of eradicating its stockpiles of such weapons. Despite these efforts, the threat of chemical weapons persists due to the presence of non-state actors globally, requiring adequate WMD planning and preparedness.
The exploitation of chemicals as WMD is an age-old practice. Documentation by diverse studies reveals that this approach dates back to 2000 BCE when the Chinese used toxic smoke to attack their enemies (Gupta, 2020). As a result, using poisonous chemicals has existed since the rise of warfare between warring parties. DeLuca et al. (2020) agree that attackers prefer this approach because of its invasive aspect with far-reaching and instant consequences. The continued use of chemicals reveals that as civilizations continued to benefit from chemistry and science advancements, warring parties also found a way to win their battles easily. For instance, early incidences marked the use of sulfur-containing smoke by Sparta and Athens in the 4th Century, while Romans employed toxic smoke in Spain. However, state actors questioned the ethical basis for such methods, leading to their minimal use in the following centuries. For instance, the British refrained from using cyanide-based shells to quash Russians in the Crimean War. The southern and northern fronts in the United States also opposed such means against their enemies despite chemical artilleries (Gupta, 2020). Despite the cautionary measures, chemical weapons regained popularity during World War I and II, leaving far-reaching ramifications on affected populations. Ciottone (2018) indicates that attacks have remained isolated but persistent since then, with non-state actors being the primary perpetrators. The most recent cases include the Syria attacks using sarin and the assassinations of individuals such as Serg...