Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Project

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An Overview

In the world of the Morrow Project, we often discuss the nuclear aspect of TEOTWAWKI event, the Soviets drop roughly 150 ICM and SLBM on the U.S. and everything quickly goes to hell in a hand basket.

NBC Warfare in its most general definition is “a Nuclear, Biological or Chemical weapon of mass destruction that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans or cause great damage to human-made structures, natural structures or the biosphere.” The exact scope and usage of this term has evolved over the years and has often been disputed (usually becoming more political than technical). The first use of a WMD was in reference to aerial bombing with chemical explosives starting with the 1937 Spanish Civil War. Since World War Two, it has expanded to include its nuclear, biological and chemical technologies.

To make the matter even more puzzling, there is no treaty or customary international law that contains an authoritative definition. Instead, international law has been used with respect to the specific categories of weapons within WMD, and not to WMD as a whole. However, there is an argument that nuclear and biological weapons do not belong in the same category as chemical and "dirty bomb" radiological weapons, which have limited destructive potential (and close to none, as far as property is concerned), whereas nuclear and biological weapons have the unique ability to kill large numbers of people with very small amounts of material, and thus could be said to belong in a class by themselves.

The U.S. definition is “Chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapons capable of a high order of destruction or causing mass casualties and exclude the means of transporting or propelling the weapon where such means is a separable and divisible part from the weapon. Also called WMD.”
The term separable and divisible part of the weapon basically states that missiles such as the U.S. Pershing II SSM and the Soviet SCUD are considered to be WMD, while aircraft carrying nuclear bombloads are not.
The United Kingdom, in 2004, published the Butler Review in an attempt to better define what a WMD is, this was latter codified in the United Nations Security Council Resolution 687, which defined the systems that Iraq would have to abandon:

"Nuclear weapons or nuclear-weapons-usable material or any sub-systems or components or any research, development, support or manufacturing facilities relating to [nuclear weapons].

Chemical and biological weapons and all stocks of agents and all related subsystems and components and all research, development, support and manufacturing facilities.

Ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150 kilometres and related major parts, and repair and production facilities."

An additional condition applied to WMD is that the use of the weapons must be strategic in nature, in other words, they would be designed to “have consequences far outweighing the size and effectiveness of the weapons themselves.

Within the Project, three chemical weapons are available:

M-55 115mm Bolt Rocket: This weapon can be fired from multiple TOW launchers that are mounted on various MARS vehicles. The warhead is loaded with GB Nerve Agent and will contaminate an area 16m x 16x 4m. Upon inhalation, the GB will kill in 15 minutes or less, skin contact kills within two hours. Maximum effective range is 10,600m

M-6 CN-DM Gas Grenade: A burning-type hand grenade that produces a cloud of white smoke during its 60-second burn time. The cloud contains a mixture of tear and vomit gases whose effects can last for up to 60 minutes. A riot/choking agent.

M-7A3 CS Gas Grenade: This hand grenade creates a dense cloud of CS tear gas. The gas causes pain in the skin, eyes, throat and lungs as well as difficulty in seeing. The effects of the gas disappear 15 minutes after exposure. The grenade burns for 60 seconds. A riot agent.

The Project issues a Chemical Protective Mask (M-17A1), an older, Vietnam War-era design with two internal filters. While TM1-1 states that the filters are good for a year before needing replacement, this is highly dependent upon the chemical used. Blood agents typically comprise the filters with 2-4 hours, while Nerve agents cause the filters to be replaced as soon as possible after the attack.

There is one additional piece of project equipment: The Project Resistweave overalls have a zip-on hood and are gas resistant. Designed for continuous wear, this can be a long-term problem as the overalls will “wear” at places such as the elbows, buttocks, knees and any other places that come into constant contact with another surface. While a great “hand-wavium” effect, the threat of the coveralls acquiring tears and wear patterns threatens their effectiveness for NBC protection.