Counter-proliferation refers to military efforts to combat weapon proliferation, including the application of military power to protect armed forces and interests, intelligence collection and analysis. A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking For the military meaning see Armed forces. For the Soviet sports society see Armed Forces (sports society Armed Forces For the military meaning see Armed forces. For the Soviet sports society see Armed Forces (sports society Armed Forces Interest is a fee paid on borrowed capital Assets lent include Money, Shares, Consumer goods through Hire purchase, major assets Intelligence (abbreviated int or intel) is not Information, but the product of evaluated information valued for its currency and relevance rather than The types of weapons include both conventional weapons and weapons of mass destruction. A weapon of mass destruction ( WMD) is a weapon which can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e
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Weapons of Mass Destruction
Nuclear Weapons
Biological Weapons
Chemical Weapons
Proliferation of chemical weapons is the hardest to verify, given that there is the greatest range of legitimate chemical industry activities where there could be diversion to a weapons program. Balancing that, however, is that chemical weapons have significantly less potential mass effect capabilities than biological or nuclear weapons. The release, which still might require tons of chemical, would need to be in a populated area, as in Bhopal (see below). The volume of chemical agent needed would suggest that the easiest way for terrorists is to cause a major release from an existing chemical production or storage facility, rather than trying to smuggle classic chemical warfare agents into the target areas.
Given the huge casualty tolls at industrial accidents such as the Bhopal Disaster, a release of toxic gas, and industrial explosions at the Halifax Explosion in Halifax, Canada; Texas City Disaster, USA; and Oppau, Germany, there is as much reason to consider improved warning, separation of dangerous centers from populated areas, and more emphasis on chemical safety, as there is reason for protection against explicit chemical weapons development. The Bhopal disaster was an Industrial disaster that occurred in the city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, resulting in the immediate deaths The Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the The Texas City Disaster of April 16, 1947, started with the mid-morning fire and detonation of approximately 2300 tons of Ammonium nitrate on board the The Oppau explosion occurred on September 21 1921 when a tower silo storing 4500 tonnes of a mixture of Ammonium sulfate and
Chlorine is not a terribly effective chemical weapon by modern standards, but the historical reality was that chlorine was the first chemical used in a deliberate chemical attack, and was brought to the release area by railroad. Chlorine (ˈklɔriːn from the Greek word 'χλωρóς' ( khlôros, meaning 'pale green' is the Chemical element with Atomic number 17 and Chlorine, and other dangerous industrial chemicals, routinely travel by rail, and sometimes truck, in militarily significant quantities. The risk here can be mitigated in two ways: changing to processes using safer agents, such as chloramines rather than chlorine for water purification; and, where more toxic agents such as phosgene or hydrogen cyanide are needed as intermediates in chemical production, to make them in secure facilities on site rather than ship them. Chloramine (monochloramine is a Chemical compound with the formula NH2Cl Phosgene is the Chemical compound with the formula COCl2 This colorless gas gained infamy as a Chemical weapon during World War I Hydrogen cyanide is a Chemical compound with Chemical formula HCN
The most toxic chemical warfare agents are nerve agents, which, biologically, are cholinesterase inhibitors. Nerve agents (also being referred to as nerve gases, though these chemicals are liquid at room temperature are a class of Phosphorus -containing organic chemicals An acetylcholinesterase inhibitor or anti-cholinesterase is a chemical that inhibits the Cholinesterase enzyme from breaking down Acetylcholine There is some dual use here, particularly with insecticides, and the most toxic insecticides of this class, such as Parathion, approach the lower edge of the toxicity range of true military agents. Parathion, also called parathion-ethyl or diethyl parathion, is an Organophosphate compound. A world effort to move to safer insecticides may be appropriate. Tiny quantities of Diisopropylfluorophosphate are used in human and veterinary use and in neuroscience, and can be monitored and controlled as are biological agents under the
There is a world Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), with schedules of especially dangerous chemicals that must be monitored in manufacturing and transportation. Diisopropyl fluorophosphate ( DFP, diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate) is an oily colorless liquid with the chemical formula C6H14FO3P The Chemical Weapons Convention ( CWC) is an Arms control agreement which outlaws the production stockpiling and use of chemical weapons Its full name is See Chemical Warfare and Improvised Chemical Devices for military grade open-air detectors. Materials MASINT is one of the six major disciplines generally accepted to make up the field of Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT with due regard that the MASINT
Enforcement of the CWC involves spot inspection with some of the instrumentation mentioned, sales and shipping controls of the materials scheduled in the CWC, and monitoring the sales and shipment of certain chemical production equipment that would be needed for nerve agent production. There are stages in the synthesis of these agents that involve reacting with elemental fluorine, which may require piping and reaction vessels lined with Teflon, silver, platinum and sometimes nickel. Fluorine, fluorum meaning "to flow" is the Chemical element with the symbol F and Atomic number 9 Teflon is a Registered trademark and Brand name of the DuPont company for products made from three types of fluorine-containing polymers ( Fluoropolymers Silver (ˈsɪlvɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol " Ag " (argentum from the Ancient Greek: ἀργήντος - argēntos gen Platinum (ˈplætɪnəm is a Chemical element with the Atomic symbol Pt and an Atomic number of 78 Nickel (ˈnɪkəl is a metallic Chemical element with the symbol Ni and Atomic number 28
Radiological Weapons
Radiological weapons, built as such, have not been used, but there have been a number of accidental radioactive material accidents that give some insights. Such weapons do not seem to have military potential, but could be used by terrorists.
While the Chernobyl disaster did much of its health damage by distributing Caesium-137, the size of the radioactive source and the violence of its explosive disruption are less typical than might be seen in a terrorist incident. The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear reactor accident in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union. Caesium-137 (also spelled cesium is a radioactive Isotope of Caesium which is formed mainly by Nuclear fission. The Goiânia accident is perhaps a better example, although it did not involve explosive scattering of the radioisotope. The Goiânia accident was an incident of Radioactive contamination in central Brazil that killed several people and injured many others
A start toward counterproliferation here is reviewing the availability of radioactives, and, especially, making certain that they are sold under verifiable controls, and, when they are ready for disposal, that they are received by a capable radioactive waste handler, which did not happen at Goiânia.
Weapons Delivery
Missile Technology
Long-range missile technology is of greatest threat when the missiles carry weapons of mass destruction, but long-range weapons with precision guidance can be serious threats with explosive or other conventional warheads. A weapon of mass destruction ( WMD) is a weapon which can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e This has been supplemented by the International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation(ICOC), also known as the Hague Code of Conduct. The International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (ICOC, also known as the Hague Code of Conduct was established November 25 2002
Technical means of verification, including space-based sensors that can scan large parts of the world, can provide early warning of long-range missile development. Space-based Staring Infrared Sensors can detect the heat of rocket launching motors. Electro-optical MASINT is a subdiscipline of Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT and refers to intelligence gathering activities which bring together disparate elements Various radars can monitor range and other characteristics, but they need to be in a place where they have line-of-sight to the missile trajectory. The United States, probably Russia, and possibly other nations have aircraft-based and ship-based sensors that can monitor such tests, but there has to be warning of potential tests so these sensors can be deployed.
Land mines and related explosive weapons
The issue here involves several issues: the manufacturing and availability of antipersonnel land mines, and the mitigation of existing minefields. Unfortunately, it is not difficult to improvise land mines, so even if all manufacturing were banned, a problem would still exist, as evidenced by the improvised exolosive devices in Iraq, and the extensive casualties caused by improvised boobytraps in Vietnam.
Cluster munitions
Conventional Weapons
Expanding bullets and related ammunition
These were some of the first weapons put under control, in the Hague Convention.
Incendiary weapons
Blinding weapons
External links
- Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Glossary of Terms - Global Partnership ProgramTemplate:Mil-start
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