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The United States and weapons of mass destruction

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The United States is known to possess two types of weapons of mass destruction: nuclear weapons and chemical weapons. It is not known to possess biological weapons except as samples for research.

Table of contents

1 Biological Weapons 2 Chemical Weapons 3 Nuclear Weapons 3.1 Land Based Intercontinental Ballistic and Cruise Missiles (ICBM’s) 3.2 Sea Based ICBM’s 3.3 Heavy Bomber Group 4 External link:

Biological Weapons

The United States cancelled its offensive biological weapons program by executive order (November 1969 and February 1970) and appears to have destroyed all biological weapons by February 1973.

The U.S. ratified the Biological and Toxins Weapons Convention (BWC) in March 1975. Negotiations for a legally binding verification protocol to the BWC proceeded for years. In 2001, negotations ended when the Bush administration rejected an effort by other signatories to create a protocol for verification, arguing that it would interfere with legitimate biological research.

The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Fort Detrick, Maryland, produces small quantities of biological agents, for use in biological weapons defense research. According to the United States government, this research is performed in full accordance with the BWC.

Chemical Weapons

The United States ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in April 1997. The original committment to destroy all chemical stockpiles by April 2004 was not met. [1] 7,500 tons of had been destroyed by 2003, about 22% of the arsenal. The administration declared that its later commitment to destroy all chemical stockpiles by 2007 (or even by the 2012 extension date) may not be met due to environmental challenges.

The three primary facilities for the disposal of chemical munitions are Tooele Chemical Demilitarization Facility in Utah, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and Terre Haute, Indiana. All chemicals weapons at Johnston Atoll were destroyed by 2000 and that facility was closed.

Nuclear Weapons

The United States nuclear arsenal are deployed in three areas: land based inter-continental missiles (ICBM), sea based balistic missiles (SSBN), and the US Air Force’s heavy bomber group.

As of 1999, the country was said to have 12,000 nuclear power weapons stockpiled. [1] In 2002, the United States and Russia agreed to reduce their stockpiles to not more than 2200 warheads in the SORT treaty. In 2003, the US rejected Russian proposals to further reduce both nation's nuclear stockpiles to 1500 each and instead the US has adopted a plan to modernise and update its weapons as well as investigate the possibility of manufacturing "micronuclear weapons" for use on the battlefield and against bunkers.[1]

The United States is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in a war. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed hundreds of thousands of people, most of them civilians, and their military use remains controversial.

Land Based Intercontinental Ballistic and Cruise Missiles (ICBM’s)

The US Air Force currently operates just over 500 ICBMs at around 15 missile complexes located primarily in the northern Rocky Mountain states and the Dakotas. These are of the Minuteman I and Peacekeeper ICBM variants. To comply with the START II all US multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, or MIRV’s, have been eliminated and replaced with single warhead missiles. All USAF Minuteman III missiles have been destroyed in accordance to START, and their launch silos sealed or sold to the public.

Sea Based ICBM’s

The US Navy is currently deploying 18 Ohio class submarines. Each Ohio class is equipped with a compliment of Trident missiles. The first eight Ohio-class submarines commissioned carry 24 Trident I missiles each, the final ten built are equipped with 24 Trident II missiles.

Heavy Bomber Group

The US Air Force also operates a strategic nuclear bomber fleet. The bomber force consists of 93 B-1s, 94 B-52s, and 21 B-2s. The majority of these heavy bombers either are being or have been retrofitted to operate in a solely conventional mode. The Strategic Air Command which for decades had kept nuclear weapons aloft 24 hours a day was disbanded in 1992.

In addition to this the US armed forces can also deploy tactical smaller nuclear weapons either through cruise missiles or with conventional fighter-bombers.

This article is part of the Weapons of mass destruction series.

Nuclear weapons - by country Chemical weapons Biological weapons

Country reports: China France Iraq Israel North Korea Russia United Kingdom United States

External link:

• United States Nuclear Forces Guide
• Abolishing Weapons of Mass Destruction: Addressing Cold War and Other Wartime Legacies in the Twenty-First Century By Mikhail S. Gorbachev

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