Terrorist Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction Within the United States: Asymmetric Warfare Paradigm in the 21st Century.

Abstract

The use of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) by terrorists within the United States presents a clear and present danger to national security. In virtually every region of the world, nation states are arming themselves with WMD. Coupled to the rising spread of WMD is the growing list of nations sponsoring worldwide terrorism. The proliferating nature of this combined threat of WMD and terrorism is changing the paradigm of asymmetrical warfare as we approach the new millennium. Reviewing the U.S. Government responses to terrorism and WMD reveals a fragmented framework that addresses these threats separately, without one federal agency in the lead. The world witnessed this new paradigm of asymmetrical attack when the Japanese religious cult, Aum Shinrikyo or Supreme Truth, attacked the Tokyo subway system using the chemical nerve agent Sarin on 20 March 1995. The Department of Defense should take action and assign this critical mission to a Joint WMD response force to support the federal, state and local crisis response framework.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 24, 1997
Accession Number
ADA326609

Entities

People

  • Michael T. Brown

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Asymmetric Warfare
  • Chemical Warfare Agents
  • Chemical Weapons
  • Department Of Homeland Security
  • Department Of State
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Health Services
  • Law
  • National Governments
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Terrorism
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Readers

  • Critical Infrastructure Protection in CBRN and WMD Threats.
  • Strategic Security Studies