Strategic concept of managing the defense against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons

Abstract

The consequences of the use of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons pose a real threat not only to lives and health of humans, animals and plants, but also to the economy. All of the above mentioned types of weapons have a common characteristic – they are extremely lethal and belong to the group of “weapons of mass destruction” (WMD). The aim of this paper is to make the concept of CBRN weapons more understandable to readers through a brief history of their emergence and development, and to present some of the devastating consequences of their use. The consideration of guidelines for the development of national strategies and action plans to combat the CBRN weapons points to the activities that should be undertaken by institutions and which may contribute to more efficient prevention of the use of CBRN weapons, mitigation of damage and alleviation of consequences for the lives of citizens, the economy and the society as a whole.

Keywords

• weapons of mass destruction
• chemical
• biological
• radiological and nuclear weapons
• strategic concept