I'm just curious as to how biological warfare would be initiated between two countries who have conventional and nuclear weapons. It seems that the
ultimate exchange of ordnance involves mushroom clouds over heavily populated cities, but that usually would occur after conventional battles right? But where
does biological warfare come in? Is it simply a deterrent like MAD?
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 Kwajalein |
When is Biological Warfare Initiated? |
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Posts: 137 (15-Jan-2008 05:53:32) |
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PMN1 |
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Posts: 3271 (15-Jan-2008 13:55:30) |
A proportion of the Soviet Union's ICBM force was supposed to be fitted with BW warheads.
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PMN1 |
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Posts: 3273 (15-Jan-2008 15:09:50) |
From Plague Wars by Tom Mangold and Jeff Goldberg.
Alibekov explained the Soviet delivery systems of BW agents, describing with precise detail the tactical aircraft with spray tanks; long-range strategic bombers carrying cluster bombs; strategic missiles with multiple warheads; and cruise missiles under development. In the event of an all-out war, he added, the biological agents used to strike strategic targets - like American and British cities - would not just comprise super-Plague and anthrax, but also viruses that cause serious epidemics, including smallpox and Marburg. Each city would be attacked with a cocktail of bacteria and viruses - at least three to five agents per attack - so the enemy activities would be fully disrupted within a couple of days; the civilian infrastructure would collapse and there would be few survivors. The will to continue the fighting would die with the people.
Last Edited By: PMN1
15-Jan-2008 16:41:52.
Edited 1 times.
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Nightwatch2 |
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Posts: 3363 (15-Jan-2008 20:41:48) |
Which is why the US specifically and explicitly linked any such attack with a nuclear response. We refrained from developing bio weapons and limited our work
to defensive research. By linking such an attack to direct nuclear response we provided the "assymetric" deterrent to any such insanity.
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PMN1 |
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Posts: 3274 (15-Jan-2008 20:52:19) |
The book suggests the BW ICBM's would accompany an all out nuclear attack so reducing the chanes of any reconstruction by killing those who would
reconstruct.
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Kwajalein |
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Posts: 138 (15-Jan-2008 21:35:03) |
Interesting. I just never saw the need for biological warfare. Killing millions and destroying a country's infrastructure could be done easily with a few MIRVs,
depending on the size of the nation.
Also, it seems strange to have BW strikes accompanying the nuclear ones. The little critters might have a very low chance of surviving the initial nuclear impacts. |
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ViribusUnitis |
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Posts: 387 (15-Jan-2008 22:07:10) |
Kwajalein wrote:You might also get some...interesting mutations in the pathogen's genome. But in general, I'd expect them to arrive as a second wave to infect the survivor's of the nuclear strike or for nonmilitary targets with a huge population density (i.e. cities). |
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PMN1 |
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Posts: 3275 (15-Jan-2008 23:14:46) |
Two more paragraphs from the book
Alibekov also confirmed that the Soviets were attempting at Vektor to genetically engineer entirely new life forms - super-viruses -, which, if successful, were intended to cause unimaginable consequences to the world's population. These 'doomsday' viruses were combinations of the most deadly germs available - smallpox, Marburg, Ebola, VEE and Machupo. The grotesque 'marriage' would be between speed of infection and high-kill factor. The aim was to insert genes from one virus, like Ebola, into another, like smallpox, to create an even more lethal 'chimera' virus. By 1990, Alibekov alleged, the Soviets had successfully created the first 'chimera' - by inserting genes from VEE (a brain virus, that causes a sever coma) into smallpox. Biopreparat spent several million dollars on this programme. Subsequent combinations under development included the insertions of Ebola and Marburg genes into smallpox. It seems the UK's David Kelly was a real pain in the neck for the Soviets during the inspections following Alibekov's defection. |
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Kwajalein |
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Posts: 140 (16-Jan-2008 06:33:28) |
It's scary to think if the Soviets ever considered deploying these super-viruses and bacteria in the same clandestine manner as suitcase nukes. From what I
remember, suitcase nukes were significantly heavy (60-65 lbs?), whereas small canisters of pathogens could easily fit into a suitcase.
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PMN1 |
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Posts: 3420 ( 2-Apr-2008 22:27:54) |
An interesting article from 1998
http://cryptome.org/bioweap.htm and another from 1999 http://cryptome.org/smallpox-wmd.htm |
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seasick |
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Posts: 4549 ( 3-Apr-2008 02:09:24) |
Some people claim that I initiate biological warfare every time I throw up.
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