I. Introduction:
Technology in the light of military weaponry has been one of the growingly controversial issues that the world faces today. Among the top weapon types that have advanced greatly over the past recent years are nuclear, chemical and biological weaponry. Though the United States government and military has been enthusiastically involved in the evolution of these weapons, their enthusiasm dwindles when responsibility must be taken for the consequences that result. Consequences that are left unresolved or postponed only bring about more doubts and questions that all branch off of one basic issue: Is it ethical to continue the advancement of nuclear, chemical and biological warfare when the results cannot be controlled?
II. Basic History of Military Weapons:
"Don't one of you fire until you see the whites of their eyes."- Colonel William Prescott, Battle of Bunker Hill, 1775
Military weaponry has developed over the ages branching from three main keys of destruction: nuclear, chemical, and biological attack. In order to understand the capabilities each hold in the present day, basic understanding is needed of how each was initially developed.
Nuclear power was first introduced into the world of weaponry on July 16, 1945 in Alamogordo, New Mexico when the United States tested out their first nuclear bomb named ‘Trinity’.7 Following Trinity’s blazing entrance came the testing of similar bombs by the governments of the Soviet Union, England, France, China, and India.7 In order to compete with these mirrored foreign bombs, on November 1, 1952, the United States entered into the Thermonuclear Age, as they exploded ‘Mike’, their first thermonuclear bomb, in the Pa...
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Image Bibliography:
P1: http://www.darwinmag.com/read/110101/weapon_content.html
P2: http://www.darwinmag.com/read/110101/weapon_content.html
P3: http://www.batguano.com/nuclear/trinity.jpg
P4: http://www.batguano.com/nuclear/trmap2.gif
P5: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/4239/chemweapons/history.html
P6: http://www.aofiles.net/main/Images/planes.jpg
P7: http://bifido.net/html-data/micro/Anthrax%20(IBacillus%20anthracis-I).htm
P8: http://www.immed.org/
P9: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/aaav.htm
P10: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/aaav.htm
P11: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/aaav.htm
As we move into the Twentieth Century the similarities are almost identical. The First World War has shaped not only modern warfare but even produced global attention to the brutal and inhumane death toll of the war. As stated in the Geneva Protocol, which prohibited the use of chemical weapons in warfare, which was signed in 1925? While this was a welcomed step, the Protocol had a number of significant short comings, including the fact that it did not prohibit the development, production or stockpiling of chemical weapons.
Guillemin, J. (2005). Biological weapons: From the invention of state-sponsored programs to contemporary bioterrorism Columbia University Press.
The purpose of this essay is to deal with the fact that chemical warfare should be brought back to modern warfare strategies. As Warren Rudman said, “And they will tell you unequivocally that if we have a chemical or biological attack or a nuclear attack anywhere in this country, they are unprepared to deal with it today, and that is of high urgency.” Rudman’s words are true in what they say and that we should do everything to counter-act his statement. Biological weapons are a key to outstanding success in war and therefore, I strongly suggest that chemical warfare is an effective and producible weapon tactic that can be used on today’s battlefield.
William Prescott, a Colonel In the battle of Bunker Hill yelled out to his troops "Do not fire until you see the whites of their eyes”. Because of the limited ammo they had at the time. The battle at Bunker Hill had many causes, leaders, events and effects that greatly affected the Revolutionary War.
After World War II the United States and several other nations, including the Soviet Union, continued the development and testing of nuclear weapons. In 1952 and 1953 the United States and the Soviet Union, respectively, detonated the first hydrogen bombs, which proved to be more powerful than the weapons used against Japan. At this time, concerns about the amount and effect of nuclear fallout produced by these weapons grew. In 1955, a group of five countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France and the Soviet Union formed a committee as part of the U.N. Disarmament Commission to discuss the cessation of nuclear weapons testing. The committee made little progress over the next several years due to disagreements ove...
When we talk about nuclear weapons technology, we need to talk about the Arms Race since World War II in order to be able to understand how this technology begins. The Arms Race is a continuous race among many nations to make and improve weapons in a struggle to maintain and/or gain power. The United States and the Soviet Union are two key players in this race. These two major nuclear weapons nations see one another as a reason and a justification for spending an enormo...
Chemical weapons and their use is one of the most important issues facing the world today. Not only is the use of such weapons highly controversial, but also the very idea of such weapons of mass destruction being in the hands of dangerous leaders. Next to nuclear weapons they are the most feared, and the prospect of these weapons not only concerns people, but also frightens them. As a result of these fears, America has entered a new war that could bring devastating effects upon our world. It is a very sensitive topic among many countries, and is out of hand primarily because of the introduction of chemical weapons to the world in the First World War. Many people have the same feelings about chemical weapons. Chemical weapons are wrong and those that exist in the world should be destroyed, but it is not that simple. Chemical weapons are very dangerous and even after their destruction, they are still very hazardous. Innocent people are being killed accidentally with chemical weapons, whether it is poor storage or bad transportation. The fact is that chemical weapons need to be destroyed, through very careful means. The production and use of chemical weapons is ethically wrong based on the devastating effects they have on the entire world. The weapons are something that is very difficult to get rid of, and we need to develop better ways to protect ourselves against their use and disposal.
The term weapon of mass destruction has been in existence since the 1930’s. Weapons of mass destruction can be better identified as nuclear weapons, biological weapons, chemical weapons, or radiological weapons. A true definition of weapons of mass destruction is “any destructive device; any weapon that is designed or intended to cause death or serious bodily injury through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals, or their precursors; any weapon involving a biological agent, toxin, or vector; any weapon that is designed to release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous to human life”. Weapons of mass destruction, also known as WMD’s, can be described as nuclear bombs, missiles, toxic chemicals, or hand grenades, artillery shells, and even ammunition often used in cannons. . These weapons of mass destruction are used in some countries on a daily basis. The sole purpose for using WMD’s should be for protection, however, if used by persons other than the military they can be used for nefarious reasons. This paper will identify reasons why the UK has joined forces with other organizations to stop the use of weapons of mass destruction, and their reasoning behind it. It will also illustrate why I believe that weapons of mass destruction are necessary for the protection of our people, our country. The United Kingdom has taken a stand and plans to stop the widespread use of weapons of mass destruction. The United Kingdom will need to use its weapons of mass destruction to save the lives of soldier’s during war. While the UK government has weapons of mass destruction, they do not believe in using them because they believe weapons of mass destruction raises serious humanitarian and security...
The major inventions during the Cold War included the Hydrogen Bomb, the Nuclear Powered Submarine, and the Computer Guided Intercontinental Nuclear Missiles. The Hydrogen Bomb was first tested in 1952; it explodes violently when reacted with an intense amount of heat. Unlike the Atomic Bombs used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II, these Hydrogen Bombs are much stronger with intent to damage anything within a one-mile radius. Moreover, heavy particles of radiation will fall to the ground, affecting the environment and healt...
Genetic engineering will be used for destructive purposes because of the technology available. “The military uses of biotechnology could pose a threat comparable to nuclear war (Gray).” In the context of applications of genetic engineering in human life, misuse of this technology in the production of biological warfare or weapons is a very major disadvantage. Compared to normal warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in extent of damage, and in a much shorter time frame. A major nuclear exchange would have long-t...
From the creation of nuclear weapons at the start of the Cold War to today, the world has experienced struggles fueled by the want of nuclear power. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Iran’s nuclear weapon program are some of the most important conflicts over nuclear weapons. Thanks to the use of nuclear weapons in 1945 to end World War II, the world has come extremely close to a nuclear war, and more countries have began developing nuclear power. Unmistakably, many conflicts since the start of the Cold War have been caused by nuclear weapons, and there are many more to come.
In Chapter 11 of his book on Military Strategy - Principles, Practices, And Historical Perspectives, Collins discuses several Counterproliferation strategies. In doing so he first laid down what motivates state and non-state actors to obtain weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) that includes nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological (NBCR) weapons, and the root causes of Counterproliferation. He then lists several courses of action to counter the proliferation of these Weapons of Mass Destruction.
As technology evolves more and more robotic systems, replacing soldiers with autonomous robots in wars is no longer a dream. Unmanned air and ground robots have been frequently utilized by American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq wars, saving thousands of lives of American soldiers; however, ethical dilemma has also appeared simultaneously. The regulation of lethal autonomous robots has become … in battlefields should be regulated As discussed in my initial project, technology is a manifestation of human intelligence, reflecting human values and thoughts. Ethical behaviors of artificial intelligence scientists and commanders of military robots will soon leap to one of the biggest problems in the era of modern autonomous warfare. In this continuing project, there will be more discussions around moral issues of autonomous machines, as well as limitations of current research for building up morally justified ethical system.
War has always been, and will always be, a necessary action perpetrated by the human race. There are many different reasons for war: rage, passion, greed, defense, and religion to name a few. When differences cannot be solved or compromised through mediation with an opposing party and anger burns with a fiery passion, war is the last remaining option. Obviously, the purpose of any war is to win. How are wars won? Perhaps if we were to ask a member of the Defense Department during the early stages of the war in Iraq, his answer might be, “To win this war we must force the enemy into submission by means of ethical warfare.” If we were to ask a marine in the Second World War what he was told by his commanding officer he would reply, “To close with the enemy and destroy him.” (Fussell, 763).
The nuclear age began before the Cold War. The United States was the first country to develop the nuclear weapons through the Manhattan Project during World War II against Axis power. The US ended the war by dropping nuclear bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. Nuclear bombs are extremely powerful. It could destroy an entire city and kill tens of thousands of people. The only time nuclear weapons have been used in war was at the end of World War II against Japan. Although the Cold War was predicated