Technologies Underlying Weapons of Mass Destruction

Abstract

This background paper explores the technical pathways by which states might acquire nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and the systems to deliver them. It also assesses the level of effort, commitment, and resources required to mount such developments. The paper is a companion to the OTA report "Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction: Assessing the Risks", which describes what nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons can do and how they might be used. That report also analyzes the consequences of the spread of such weapons for the United States and the world, surveys the array of policy tools that can be used to combat proliferation, and identifies tradeoffs and choices that confront policy makers. A forthcoming report will analyze specific sets of nonproliferation policy options in detail.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1993
Accession Number
ADA375231

Entities

People

  • Roger C. Herdman

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Chemical Elements
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemical Warfare
  • Chemical Warfare Agents
  • Chemistry
  • Fungi
  • Health Services
  • Material Degradation Processes
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Processing
  • Materials Science
  • Materials Testing
  • Medical Personnel

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

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