US Military Operating a Secret Chemical Weapons Program

US Military Operating a Secret Chemical Weapons Program
Sunshine Project provides evidence for US violation of international law

Sunshine Project.org

The Sunshine Project today accuses the US military of conducting a chemical weapons research and development program in violation of international arms control law. The charges follow an 18 month investigation of the Department of Defense's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate (JNLWD). The investigation made extensive use of the US Freedom of Information Act to obtain Pentagon records that form the primary basis of the allegations. An array of documents, many of which have been posted on the Sunshine Project website, demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that JNLWD is operating an illegal and classified chemical weapons program.
Link


Interesting read. More goodies for our government to end up selling on the black market to those bad, bad 3rd world countries. Or worst yet, if those end up in the terrorists hands.....

Just when you thought you've seen it all!

NeedTruth


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[edit on 15-6-2004 by Banshee]

Okay...we already have the worst chemical weapons known to mankind. So what are we doing with them? Trying to keep them sealed up until we can get rid of the damn things! I personally work within 1/4 mile of one of the biggest stockpiles of the stuff on the face of this planet, and I for one will be glad to see them gone. Everyone wants to point at the US and it's chem weapons as rationale for them to have theirs, but what's the difference? We don't want to use them on anyone, as other nations trying feverishly to develop them do--they're just relics that we want rid of.

As for the development of non-lethal chem weapons, I actually think that's a good thing. One needs look no further than the incident in Moscow to see proof that such weapons unquestionably saved lives, and have the potential do do so again in the future. Again, look no further than this incident for proof that the US are not the only ones smart enough to realize the need for this, regardless of the same treaty Russia signed agreeing not to pursue such. The end result of the action in Moscow? Did the world freak out because they violated this treaty? Did the US political machine throw this in Russia's face? Neither of these things happened. In fact, nearly all parties applauded the use of nonlethal chems in this situation because innocent people were saved by it's usage, as well as decidedly non-innocents near-instantaneously immobilized and subsequently killed. It's a good thing--we need more weapons like this, as our government no doubt is aware of.

Illicit? Understandably so. Shameful? Hardly. UN inspectors?

Yep, that is pretty ironic. How recent is this story, will there be action upon this fairly soon? I'm sure there are a lot of uninformed people who don't believe this stuff actually exists. Non-lethal is better than lethal though, but it is still ironic...

"Everyone wants to point at the US and it's chem weapons as rationale for them to have theirs, but what's the difference? We don't want to use them on anyone"

The US has been developing chemical weapons since the 1st world war and continues to do so.
There are many excuses. Research helps to create better anti-toxins, Work on delivery systems helps us understand how to effectively counter attack, etc etc.

To be honest, some of these excuses carry a certain amount of merit.
Yours however does not.

The argument that we can have them because we don't want to use them against anyone is null and void. Its the same reason we justify our nukes. We don't want to use them, UNTIL we do want to use them.

If we genuinely didn't want to use them and could foresee no possible situation where we might possibly want to use them then there is no point in having them.

I bet these chemical weapons that are non lethal are in nature are being developed for dispersal and pacification to social dissidence (protester). That'ill shut up those hippies..

[edit on C:Tueocu06e6 by Opus]

"Non lethal" chemical and biological weapons are generally used to hide lethal chemical and biological weapon programmes.

"Sir ? what does this stuff do ?"
"Oh that's just non lethal urban pacification gas"
"oh... and what about this stuff ?"
"That's happy gas for making angry people more mellow"
"oh... cool... so, what happens if I mix them together ?"
"Oh well if you mix them together you get a powerful neuron toxin that causes peoples flesh to melt off, blows their spine through the back of their neck and strips paint of every wall in a three mile radius"

I don't know what the shock is in hearing this. I hate to say this, but chemical weapons development has been going on for a number of years right here in the good old USA. I first heard of it in 1966 when I was a brand new private. Also when I went back in, in 1974 I heard of it again and continued to do so for the next 18 years.

As the Russian seige proved, there is no such thing as a non-lethal Chemical Weapon.
The US has been researching this subject for years. The term used then was "incapacitating agents". They have never found an agent that could be accurately called non-lethal. The favourite US Army incapacitating agent used to be BZ, a sort of super '___', but with many side effects.

zero lift

Two Words... Necessary Evil.

How do you respond when a madman lets loose with chemical wepons. NUKES? Flatten the capital?

I have the perfect weapon. It comes out of my child after she eats peanuts.
Leathal but makes you wish you were dead without actual death.

Haha! "We have them but we don't ever use them."

So why make more?

Because there's this thing called the Arms Market. You sell them to the highest bidder. Or through the "gray market" (through an intermediary who sells them to whoever they want without government oversight).

Originally posted by NeedTruth
US Military Operating a Secret Chemical Weapons Program
Sunshine Project provides evidence for US violation of international law

not true, for one the US never ratified the treaty banning such programs so we're violating nothing.

The details

Please Simon, spare me your judgement of merit until you've spent a lifetime within sniffing distance of a couple tons worth of moldy VX munitions.

[edit on 15-6-2004 by Q]