Historical Evolution of Cbrne Incidents

¶ … Evolution of CBRNE Incidents

Weapons that were out of the ordinary, such as chemical, biological, nuclear, radiological, and explosive (CBRNE), have been used since nearly the beginning of warfare. People sent infected individuals into the midst of enemy camps in attempts to harm the soldiers with biological weaponry. Nuclear weapons are owned by many countries, and have been tested to the point that all it would take is one ruler of one country deciding to do something drastic and the entire world could potentially be wiped out. Terror plots have been foiled that have included chemical and radiological weapons (Eldridge, 2006). Explosives, of course, are often used. Bombs and dynamite have been used in the past, but terrorists can also use larger-scale explosives to damage buildings and to create fear and worry in the hearts of people throughout a country or a region of the world. This was done, for example, on September 11, 2001, when planes were flown into the Twin Towers.

In other countries, there have been many other instances of destruction from explosives, as they seem to be the most common option for many terrorists and also for the military. Despite this, there is more to CBRNE than just bombs and other types of explosive devices. Recently, people heard the news everyday about the military in Iraq and how IEDs, or improvised explosive devices, were used to harm and kill American troops. Now that the war has ended those kinds of issues are not in the news nearly as often. Still, there are bombings and other difficulties in many countries around the world. Explosives have nearly always been used in times of warfare or for terrorism, but they have not been the only choice. Poisonous gas and other biological agents have also been used, such as the Mustard Gas that was used in past wars (Eldridge, 2006; Morel & Olson, 1992). Nuclear weapons are not seen in wars, but the threat of them is something that people live with on a daily basis.

Because there are so many options for terrorists today when it comes to CBRNE, critical incidents can be devastating and can also create mass casualties very quickly. Another serious concern for these kinds of terrorist activities is that there may be more than one medium used in order to cause terror and harm. In other words, the terrorists may choose to detonate a bomb, but that may be what is called a "dirty bomb." These explosives, when detonated, release a chemical or biological agent into the air around them. These unexpected agents can spread quite rapidly, and when they do they can easily and rapidly be deadly. Even if the actual explosion does not kill many people, there is great damage potential in the "dirty" aspect of that explosive. With that being the case, agencies that are preparing for critical incidents must take these kinds of mixed-activity terror threats very seriously (Eldridge, 2006). Rushing to help in an incident where all the facts are not known could cause more harm in the long run, and could result in the sickness or death of more people.