Nuclear
weapons are far more destructive than conventional (regular) ones.
North Korea's test of a nuclear
weapon signaled the entry of yet another nation (the 9th) into the nuclear club--this one ruled by an authoritarian, secretive regime that could try to sell its technology to other nations or even terrorists.
But even though JDAM is now a staple of America's arsenal, the Direct Attack Systems Group at Eglin continues to upgrade the
weapon and find new ways for the warfighter to use it to their advantage.
All that dry firing isn't necessary to make sure a
weapon isn't loaded.
The United States hasn't built a new nuclear
weapon since the early '90s, and that's left the
weapons plant's 6,000 employees with little to do.
The ideal
weapon is, in fact, a short thin-bladed knife, with a stiff blade, about 7 cm in length--many lock knives and small sheath knives fall into this group.
But as you alluded to, a
weapon of mass destruction in our world goes beyond that [definition] and includes improvised explosive devices.
Eventually, these
weapons are going to be used, just as every other
weapon that's been developed by humankind eventually has been used," he told me in 1996.
There are multiple unique technologies required for different categories of
weapon systems.
Yet, as the United States has reserved the right to use nuclear
weapons in response to a chemical or biological
weapon attack for some years, the continued emphasis on this first strike policy undermines nonproliferation goals.
Per kilogram of
weapon, the potential lives lost approach those of nuclear
weapons, but less costly and sophisticated technology are required.
To become a lethal
weapon, highly concentrated amounts of the spores must be inhaled and then left untreated by antibiotics.
They designed and built huge stockpiles of nuclear
weapons.
The Army also awarded BAE Systems funding for advanced technology development that will continue to reduce the size, weight, and cost of future
weapon sights.
As each
weapon was finished and certified in Texas, it would then head by rail, plane, ship or truck to its (perhaps temporary) resting place--military bases around the world.
