Unconventional Warfare
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Reconnaissance Evolution
Unconventional warfare by means of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) methods have existed for millennia. Dating as far back as the Hellenistic Age, this means of lethality has been evidenced through textual findings where Alexander the Great and his Army sustained poisoned arrows from Indian rivals. With the evolution that comes with time, the extensive use of chlorine and mustard gas were introduced by Germans during World War I (Landau, 1991). More recently in 2013, the confirmed stockpile and use of chemical weapons in Syria and North Korea has threatened the safety of the global community with terrorism and tactics of surprise. In order to combat this resurgence of CBRN warfare, the United States Army developed and continuously adapts to these types of threats by employing CBRN Defense. Under this system, CBRN reconnaissance operations were established to observe an area to locate and identify any possible contamination. Managed by CBRN reconnaissance platoons, these operations remain one of the most important defense principles of contamination avoidance.
CBRN Reconnaissance Key Mobile Detection Systems
In 1995, the Fox M93A1 Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Reconnaissance System (NBCRS) was developed as a variant of a German mobile detection concept (Military Analysis Network, 2001). The FOX is a lightly armored, wheeled system whose primary mission is to detect, identify, mark, sample and report contamination. Reconnaissance elements are able to utilize this highly mobile laboratory to instantaneously analyze water, air, and ground samples for indications of contamination. These vehicles encompass a full dimensi...
... middle of paper ...
...importance of our existing capabilities.
Works Cited
(2004). FM 3-11.19 Multiservice tactics, techniques, and procedures for nuclear, biological, and chemical reconnaissance.
Landau, E. (1991). Chemical and biological warfare. (p. 51). New York, NY: Lodestar Books.
Mauroni, A. (2000). America's struggle with chemical-biological warfare. (p. 151). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.
Military Analysis Network. (2001, March). Fox M93A1 Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Reconnaissance System (NBCRS). Retrieved from http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m93a1.htm
Stark, T. (2006, June). NBCRV Latest Stryker variant to be tested. TSM Stryker/Bradley Corner.
Using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for CBRN. (2013, December). Retrieved from
http://www.cbrneportal.com/using-unmanned-aerial-vehicles-uavs-for-chemical-biologicalradiological-nuclear-cbrn-reconnaissance
3Brophy, L. (1959). The Chemical Warfare Service (1st ed.). Washington: Office of the Chief of
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joint Operations, Joint Publication 3-0 (Washington, DC: U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, August 11, 2011), III-1.
HQ, Department of the Army. (2014). Army Techniques Publication 3-11.24: TECHNICAL CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL, RADIOLOGICAL, NUCLEAR, AND EXPLOSIVES FORCE EMPLOYMENT. Washington, DC: HQ, Department of the Army.
United States. Defense Nuclear Agency. Operation Dominic I - 1962. Vol. DNA 6040F. L. Berkhouse, 1962. T24298. U.S. Department of Defense - Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. .
Cashman, J. (2000). Emergency Response to Chemical and Biological Agents. Boca Raton, FL. Lewis Publishers.
"Federation of American Scientists :: Types of Chemical Weapons." Federation of American Scientists. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2010.
Wilman, D. (2011, March 22). Report faults Army in 2001 anthrax mailings. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 16, 2013, from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/22/nation/la-na-anthrax-ivins-20110323/2history/famous-cases/anthrax-amerithrax
Mo Tzu was a well-known Chinese writer, philosopher, military strategist, and the founder of Mohism, a school of thought that preached “universal love, or the love of all human beings” (Austin 253). In Against Offensive Warfare, one of three works written by Tzu in opposition to the civil wars taking place in China, he criticized man’s ability to praise offensive warfare and commend it as righteous, while condemning lesser acts of civil crime and violence and denouncing them as unrighteous. He argued that all acts of offensive warfare and aggression against a fellow human being should be considered unrighteous and that no distinction should be made between the two. As a military strategist, Mo Tzu was no stranger to the atrocities of military conflict and adhered to the belief that war should be avoided unless fought in self-defense. Mo Tzu believed that war was sinful and the immeasurable sacrifice both of lives and resources were a waste that would eventually destroy the world (Osborne). War is a horrible and perilous affair that shatters the lives of millions and rips apart the threads that knit our society together. It separates families and divides countries and leaves only death, disease, and destruction in its wake. While war is always terrible and should be avoided at all costs, sometimes war is necessary to restore order and freedom in a lost and broken world.
In the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, continuing through Madison’s term, the United States initiated a policy to retaliate against the seizure of ships by the British and French. These three dominant nations entered a period between 1806-1810, known as Commercial Warfare. The Commercial War was a response by Americans to maintain their right of neutral commerce. The Acts by the United States, the Decrees by the powerful Napoleon I, and the Parliamentary orders, throughout the period of Commercial Warfare directly led to the start of the War of 1812, and helped build the commercial future of the United States.
- - -, dir. “Air Force Special Operations Command.” The Official Web Site of the United Stated Air Force. U.S. Air Force, 20 Sept. 2011. Web. 9 Feb. 2012. .
Fries, A. A., & West, C. J. (1921) The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Chemical warfare. New York [etc.] :. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.. Heller, C. E. (1985).
Linkous, J. (2004). More details on new anthrax search. Retrieved Oct. 06, 2005, from CBS News Web site: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/05/national/main647441.shtml.
... of Staff, Joint Operations, Joint Publication 3-0 (Washington, DC: U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, 11 August 2011),III-10
Technology changes every day, sometimes the events in our life shape what new technology we use. You would have to be living in a hole not know that we are in conflict with Iraq, and this event has changed digital warfare.
Government reactions to disasters, including the explosion of nuclear weapons on U.S. soil. The Department of Homeland Security oversees the advance of technologies intended to distinguish the presence of nuclear materials at the nation’s