Radiological Weapons

Radiological weapons are a tricky topic to define. Radiology can be a positive thing (food, health, water), but radiology can also be used as a form of weaponry. Radiological warfare is effective when it is used throughout a highly populated area (which is why it is also known as “the city bomb”), and it is largely undetectable until it is too late.

A radiological weapon usually consists of a type of bomb that is loaded with radioactive material. Radiological weapons are not nuclear bombs, since they rely on a different sort of reaction, but their impact can still be devastating depending upon the number of people residing in one specific area. Although this type of weapon appears to be useful, radiological weapons are rarely used within the United States military.

Radiological weapons are deemed useless within the military since any area that has been affected by a radiological weapon cannot be entered. Therefore, if the military were to set off a radiological bomb, they would not be able to attack any remaining enemies for quite awhile after the bomb was detonated. Perhaps, this is precisely why terrorist groups would choose to use radiological weapons as a form of destruction.

Since the only known usage of a radiological weapon occurred under Saddam Hussein’s rule in Iraq (it proved to be useless), experts do not know what sort of effect this type of bomb would have on a population were it to be used by a terrorist group. Some speculate that a radioactive bomb would cause little harm, while others tend to see this sort of explosion as a fairly large threat. For now, radiological weapons remain on the “weapons of mass destruction” list, and they are outlawed in many countries.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

The phrase “weapons of mass destruction” (WMD) is thrown around today’s media freely, but this term is often used incorrectly. Many people are under the false impression that WMDs are a recent phenomenon, but this type of warfare has been around sine the 1930s. The weapons listed underneath this category are vast, but they all tend to have the underlying theme of weapons that can wipe out humongous numbers of people, animals, and plants in a matter of moments.

In order to clarify the actual phrase “weapons of mass destruction,” it should be noted that the term itself was concocted during the year 1937 by Reverend Cosmo Lang. The original meaning of the term was used to address a Christian audience in order to sympathize with war torn Spain and China. At the time of Reverend Lang’s address, no nuclear weaponry was in existence. Today, the term is largely blown out of proportion and used in order to sway voters, or it is used as a means of threat from one nation to another. By military standards, the term is usually used in reference to nuclear weapons, which can be found within many countries today.

Weapons of mass destruction include nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological weapons, which are devised solely to wipe out entire populations should the need arise. Most of the time, when the media speaks of a WMD, they are referring to some sort of nuclear weapon. Nuclear weapons have been used by the United States, and eight other countries (China, France, India, Pakistan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and North Korea) claim to have tested nuclear weaponry.

Along with the United States, many countries are attempting to place a world wide ban on nuclear weaponry, but some countries still tend to make the claim that they have invented nuclear weapons of their own. Many countries throughout the world possess nuclear weapons, but most of them are underneath some sort of weaponry agreement that prohibits them from firing their weapons.