Introduction.
According to Eland (1998), chemical weapons are weapons that use toxic properties of comprising chemical substances rather than their explosive features to produce physiological or physical effects on an enemy. Syria under President Assad is known to hoard use amount of chemical weapons, one of the largest in the world. The weapons have already been used against innocent citizens in Syria and have caused fatalities of more than 1000 people (Lucas, 2013). There has been debate among security experts that if the chemical weapons get into the hands of terrorist, they might use them to attack the US. However, Syria’s chemical weapons are seen to have insignificant credible to the US national security if they can get into the hands of terrorist (Ordonex, 2013). Many countries have possessed the ability to produce chemical weapons. Terrorists groups also can produce or acquire such materials and use them to carry out attacks in the US (Ordonex, 2013). The paper discusses why Syrian chemical weapons are a not credible threat to the US, how the terrorist organizations acquire, produce, ship, and disseminate the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), and the recommended policies to be implemented to make the attack more difficult.
Likelihood of the scenario.
According to Lowther (2007), Syrian chemical weapons are not a credible threat to the US, and the scenario of an attack is less likely to occur. This is because of the difficulty the terrorists might face against successfully developing chemical weapons program. The terror network might face challenges to operate covertly in the US soil because the American homeland security agencies improved and enhanced their coordination under the secret information sharing act. The recent nonproliferation efforts have rendered the terrorist acquisition of chemical agents more difficult, complicating the already difficult tasks involved in producing them. Secondly, even though carrying out a possible in an adversary with the use of chemical weapons on the battlefield, resulting in significant casualties on unprotected troops, the view of terrorists dispersing a large amount of chemical agents in American soil is highly unlikely. To cause serious deaths in major American cities, it will require numerous low level flights over the area of target to carry aerial delivery of chemical agents from Syria which cannot be possible for terrorists (Lowther, 2007).
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"Are Syrian Chemical Weapons A Credible Threat To The US?".
How terrorist organization can acquire, produce, ship, and disseminate the WMD
The chemical weapons can be produced easily and inexpensively using commercially available technologies and raw materials. The production can take place in small facilities that are used in the development and production of mundane commercial products. Several commercial facilities used to make chemical weapons among terrorists in the world are available and easy to hide while carrying out production. However, terrorist may face a challenge in the management and effectively carry out dispersal without affecting those who are tasked in the activity of realizing the chemical agents. On the other hand, several common industrial chemicals which are toxic can also be used as chemicals but they lack large quantities of toxicity to cause any significant impacts. However, there is a scary potential that an attack using WMD can be difficult to prevent or deter. The use of such chemical weapons on the US soil can be difficult to detect and mitigate in time.
Once the terrorist produce the chemical weapons, they can smuggle them into the US homeland by using smaller shipments, and they can use several methods possible to disseminate them. According to U.S. Department of Defense (1997), stopping the transportation of chemical materials is difficult as in the case of law agencies stopping the smuggling of drugs into the US. Terrorist might require a truck or a ship to deliver the chemical materials within the US soil. The truck or a ship can also be used to spread the intended medical radiological waste in a particular area and over a wide area. For instance, an aerosol sprayer that is placed on the truck’s rooftop can be used to disseminate the chemical agents over a wide area.
Policy recommendations that should be implemented that would make this attack more difficult.
Currently, there is no effective protection mechanisms against a surprise chemical weapons attack that exists. This is because, special suits and gas masks are required for the activity (U.S. Department of Defense, 1997). Recently, the US government has released several reports that emphasize on the need for the increase of the American Homeland defense’s national attention due to the threat posed by terrorists. The mission by the government has not been popular since the 1950s. However, the spread of technology used to produce weapons of mass destruction such as chemical weapons has reawakened the need to protect the homeland from the threat of terrorist. The Department of Defense completed a study that indicated that there is a strong correlation between a terrorist attack on the US and US involvement in international crisis or situations. Any attack in the US can be very catastrophic for the American homeland since the US is regarded as a great power by other countries.
Since the threat of terrorist using chemical weapons on the US can be difficult to stop, deter, mitigate or deter, and its effect are catastrophic, the US national security should consider Syria’s chemical weapons as a credible threat and is likely to remain a threat in the future (U.S. Department of Defense, 1997). One of the policies recommended to be implemented so as to make the chemical weapons by terrorist difficult is to ensure maximized attention directed to trucks and railcars which are notoriously vulnerable targets for terrorist. This is an increased spying and scrutiny to prevent any terror activities. Phosgene and chlorine gases are industrial and very toxic chemicals that are often transported in bulk by use of rail and road shipments (Eland, 1998). The commercial containers might be an easy target by terrorists who can rupture them, and the can get released. Chorine and phosgene have similar effects to those of mustard agent used in Syria (Dawson, 2013). Although the spill of chlorine and other toxic chemicals from railcars and trucks is uncommon, select can decide to select targets and timing to ensure maximum large-scale effects on the public. There is a need to improve and beef up security measures for trucks and railcars packed and passing through populated and busy urban centers. The security agents should also take high precautions when off-loading bulk chemicals.
- Allen, J & Epstein, R. (September 2013). Obama: Syria situation ‘threatens our national security’. Retrieved 22 September 2014 from http://www.politico.com/
- Dawson, P. K. (August 2013). Obama: Syria’s use of chemical weapons is threat to US interests. Voice of America.
- Eland, Ivan. (1998). ‘‘Does U.S. Intervention Overseas Breed Terrorism? The Historical Record.’’ Cato Institute Foreign Policy Briefing.
- Lowther, A. B. (2007). Terrorism and the weapons of mass destruction threat to the United States. Midsouth Political Science Review, 2007-2008, Vol. 9
- Lucas, F. (August 2013). White House: Syrian chemical weapons a threat to US national security. Retrieved 22 September 2014 from http://www.theblaze.com/
- Ordonex, F. (September 2013). Congressman concerned about attack in US with Syrian chemicals. Retrieved 22 September 2014 from http://www.miamiherald.com/
- U.S. Department of Defense. (1997). Proliferation: Threat and Response. Washington. Government Printing Office.
