CBRN Weapons and How Terrorists Use These Weapons (Essay Sample)

CBRN
Name
Institutional Affiliation
CBRN
Nonstate actors and terrorists are increasingly becoming part of the contemporary security environment. Consequently, the threats posed by terrorists and nonstate actors’ utilization of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons are becoming more prominent. In 2015, Wolfgang Rudischhauser, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) Centre director, opined the world might enter into a period of CBRN terrorism. More recently, Elain Duke of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) termed America’s efforts regarding CBRN terrorism “inadequate” (Campbell & Murdie, 2018). Hence, the ability of CBRN terrorist attacks to impact many people and challenges in their detection create policy concerns about their potential use. Further, the railway transportation system has become a viable target for terrorists due to its essential services and the large number of people it serves. For example, since 1995, there have been several attacks on subway systems, resulting in more than 1,000 deaths (King, 2016). Therefore, the accessibility and openness of train stations is attractive to adversaries. This paper discusses how a terrorist could disperse anthrax spores in the subway station during a major sporting event in the host city. First, the paper provides a background of anthrax and biological agents. Second, the paper proposes a terrorist scenario that could lead to dissemination of anthrax spores in the subway station. Third, the work provides various strategies on how to prevent a biological attack on a subway system. Lastly, the paper surmises the presented perspectives.