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weapon of mass destruction |
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weapon of mass destruction (WMD)Weapon with the capacity to inflict death and destruction indiscriminately and on a massive scale. The term has been in currency since at least 1937, when it was used to describe massed formations of bomber aircraft. Today WMDs are nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons—frequently referred to collectively as NBC weapons. Efforts to control the spread of WMDs are enshrined in international agreements such as the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty of 1968, the Biological Weapons Convention of 1972, and the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993. See nuclear weapon; chemical warfare; biological warfare. weapon of mass destruction [′wep·ən əv ′mas di′strək·shən] (ordnance) Nuclear, bacteriological, or other weapon capable of causing widespread death or destruction. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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For North Korea, unconventional weapons development has also proved to be a relatively inexpensive means of maintaining deterrence by enhancing its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) capabilities against its perceived enemies, including the United States, Japan and South Korea. Why, of course, the intelligence estimate on Iraqi unconventional weapons programs--excoriated in a 500-page report that the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence issued with much fanfare in July 2004, further torn apart in another 500-page report by a White House-appointed commission, and scorned and vilified ever since. More than two dozen powers, including three GCC states, practiced intercepting and searching vessels suspected of trafficking in unconventional weapons in major military exercises which emphasised their co-ordination and willingness to aggressively block the spread of arms. |
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