Description
Mauroni (a senior policy analyst with Northrop Grumman) reviews US Department of Defense policies towards the threat of what are commonly called weapons of mass destruction from 1995 to 2005. In contrast to the alarmist approach to the topic typical in media and government pronouncements (which have been termed "weapons of mass distraction" by critics), he distinguishes between true weapons of mass destruction capable of killing thousands in a single incident; nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons important to military planning; and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear hazards. The bulk of the work consists of a critical look at how the Bush administration addressed the threat (or lack thereof) in the buildup to the war in Iraq and during the invasion itself. In spite of his criticism of the Bush administration's exaggeration regarding the threat posed by Iraq, Mauroni nevertheless believes that government must address the threat posed by such weapons and offers advice on proper approaches based on realistic assessments of the varying levels of threat. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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There are many books on the Iraq war and on WMD-type issues, but this is the first to offer a historical overview of chemical-biological defense issues and a policy analysis of how the U. S. government addresses the threat of weapons of mass destruction and how ground forces deal with the problem on the battlefield. Al Mauroni looks at how the 9/11 disaster forced the Department of Defense to review its management of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) defense equipment and then make significant changes. He outlines in detail the government's decision to invade Afghanistan and Iraq and search for WMDs.The fact that no such weapons were found, the author explains, has had dramatic consequences for how U.S. military forces address the use of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons in Iraq and how they support the federal response to terrorist incidents involving these weapons at home. Mauroni draws on two decades of experience in the area of chemical-biological defense policy to present this comprehensive analysis of the decision-making process within the Department of Defense and the actions of U.S. forces in the second Iraq War. Explaining that "WMD" is no longer a useful term for the threat faced by military leaders and emergency professionals, he also outlines a number of lessons learned from the conflicts in the Middle East and offers recommendations on how to improve CBRN defense for the future.This book is published with the cooperation of the Association of the United States Army.
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