There have been countless amounts of terrorist attacks occurring across the country. Vicious groups or terrorists who are responsible for those attacks have been apprehended due to supporting evidences found and the cooperation of rogue members; nevertheless many groups are still untouchable and causing chaos. As Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) senior noncommissioned officers, we must be trained and ready to face any type of attack. Throughout history, it is clear that terrorist groups are relying more on biological warfare due to the ease of acquiring and life threatening effects on the intended victims. However, not all biological attacks are successful and the Aum Shinrikyo cult’s miserable attempt in dispersing airborne anthrax would have been catastrophic if executed appropriately.
Before discussing the failed attempt in releasing the biological agent anthrax in Kameido, let us begin with the cult responsible for fear and biological attacks in Tokyo, Japan (Rosenau, 2001). The Aum Shinrikyo cult was formed and lead by a blind, yoga instructor by the name of Shoko Asahara and the cult’s name is derived from meditation and the “supreme truth” (Walton, 2010). Asahara devoted his life to the ultra practice of meditation and spirituality. He influenced many followers into believing nuclear war would come to Japan; therefore they had to develop their own type of defensive weapons (Walton, 2010). Asahara leadership was beyond manipulative. Amazingly, he inspired multiple of influential and respected individuals like government officials, police, and scientists into joining his organization (Walton, 2010).
Anthrax was not Aum Shinrikyo first unsuccessful attempt in biological weapon and definitely...
... middle of paper ...
...uld discontinue the amount of vengeance directed towards all people, especially when the process of developing such a dangerous weapon fails.
Works Cited
Meyer, R. (2004). The psychological effects of weapons of mass destruction (wmd) on military and civilian personnel (Publication No. CR-04-10). Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD:
Chemical and Biological Defense Information Analysis Center.
Rosenau, W. (2001). Aum shinrikyo’s biological weapons program: why did it fail? Studies in
Conflict and Terrorism, 24, 289-301.
Takahashi, H., Keim, P., Kaufmann, A., Keys, C., Smith, K., Taniguchi, K., Inouye, S., & Kurata, T. (2004). Bacillus anthracis incident, kameido, Tokyo, 1993. Emerging Infectious Disease, 10(1), 117-120.
Walton, T. (2010). Challenges in intelligence analysis: lesson from 1300 BCE to the present. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Ramachandria, C. T., Subramanyan, N., Bar, K. J., Baker, G., & Yeragani, V. K. (n.d.).
Guillemin, J. (2005). Biological weapons: From the invention of state-sponsored programs to contemporary bioterrorism Columbia University Press.
Suresh, G., Horbar, J., Plsek, P., Gray, J., Edwards, W., Shiono, P., & ... Goldmann, D. (2004).
Wilman, D. (2011, March 22). Report faults Army in 2001 anthrax mailings. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 16, 2013, from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/22/nation/la-na-anthrax-ivins-20110323/2history/famous-cases/anthrax-amerithrax
Nowicka, P., Santoro, N., Liu, H., Lartaud, D., Shaw, M. M., Goldberg, R., Guandalini, C.,
9.Wang, P. S., Gruber, M. J., Powers, R. E., Schoenbaum, M., Speier, A. H., Wells, K. B., &
During 1995 the Japanese experienced what could happen if a doomsday organization practices extreme measures to gain the audience of its fellow citizens. Members of the Aum Supreme Truth (Aum Shinrikyo) dropped sarin gas in the tunnels of a Tokyo subway system in March of 1995 killing 12 and injuring up to 6,000 more. The group’s leader Shoko Asahara (AKA Chizuo Matsumoto) was trying to forcefully fulfill his own prophecies in order to gain the attention of the people (Kaplan, 12). The same type of ill-fated incident could have been planned and executed by the Branch Davidians had they been allowed to continue to operate, and probably one day build a biological or chemical weapon of mass destruction.
Shinno, H., Matsuoka, T., Yamamoto, O., Noma, Y., Hikasa, S., Takebayashi, M., & Horigughi, J. (2007).
Throughout the progression of mankind, there has always been a need to become superior in tactics and technology over an opponent. It did not take long for man to discover the effective and deadly tactic of Bioterrorism, which is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria or other germs used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. As time passes, everything about bioterrorism becomes more and more sophisticated, making it very difficult to combat with. By examining the history of bioterrorism, one can learn how military forces utilize this deadly weapon.
Zhang, Y. B., Harwood, J., Williams, A., Ylänne-McEwen, V., Wadleigh, P. M., & Thimm, C.
Ottenberg, A. L., Wu, J. T., Poland, G. A., Jacobson, R. M., Koenig , B. A., & Tilburt, J. C.
The morning of September 11, 2001, Americans experienced vulnerability and realized a new fear, the threat of a bioterrorist attack. In the days that followed the terrorist attacks letters tainted with anthrax began appearing in the U.S. mail. Five Americans were killed and 17 were sickened in what became the worst biological attacks in U.S. history (“Amerithrax or Anthrax Investigation”). Bioterrorism is defined as a criminal act against unsuspecting civilians and a threat to national security with the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or germs. An attack of bioterrorism is meant to cause illness or death by microorganisms that are found in nature, but they can be made more harmful because of an increased ability to cause and spread disease which resists medical treatment. These biological agents can spread from person to person or can be released into the food supply, water, or air. They can be hard to detect because they may not cause illness for hours or several days, thus giving terrorists an advantage allowing them to go escape undetected until symptoms arise and an attack is suspected. Biological weapons are appealing because they are often easy to obtain and inexpensive, and can be easily distributed. The main objective of bioterrorism is to cause panic and terror, not necessarily casualties. The social disruption they cause can be far worse than any actual damage.
Broyles, Janell. Chemical and Biological Weapons in a Post-9/11 World. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2005. Print.
Stanley, J., Gannon, J., Gabuat, J., Hartranft, S., Adams, N., Mayes, C., Shouse, G. M.,
Tamborini, Ron ; Eastin, Matthew S. ; Skalski, Paul ; Lachlan, Kenneth ; Fediuk, Thomas A. ;