Home Encyclopedia Dictionaries More details

Weapons of mass destruction (WMD)

Types of weapons capable of causing mass casualties and destruction, including irreversible changes environment. Main distinctive features WMD are: multifactorial destructive action; the presence of long-term damaging factors and their spread beyond the target; long-term psychotraumatic effect in people; severe genetic and environmental consequences; the complexity of protecting troops, the population, critical facilities and eliminating the consequences of its use. WMD include nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. The development of science and technology can contribute to the emergence of new types of weapons that are as effective as and even superior to already known types of weapons of mass destruction (see Weapons based on new physical principles).

Nuclear weapons (NW), is in service with many armies and navies of the world, almost all branches of the Armed Forces and branches of the military. The main means of defeating it is nuclear weapons. Except various types Nuclear weapons ammunition includes means of delivering them to the target (see Carriers of nuclear weapons), as well as means of combat control and support. Strategic nuclear weapons can have high-power nuclear weapons - up to several Mt (100 kt = 1 Mt) in TNT equivalent and reach any point on the globe. It is capable of short terms destroy administrative centers, industrial and military facilities, cause mass disasters - fires, floods and radioactive pollution of the environment, destroy a significant number of troops and the population. The main means of delivering strategic nuclear weapons are strategic bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Non-strategic nuclear weapons have nuclear warheads with a yield ranging from several units to several hundred kilotons and are designed to destroy various targets at operational-tactical depth. This type of nuclear weapons includes ground-based missile systems medium range, air-to-ground missiles, aerial bombs, anti-ship and anti-submarine missile systems, mines and torpedoes with nuclear charges, nuclear artillery, etc.

The main damaging factors of nuclear weapons (see Damaging effect nuclear explosion) include shock wave, light radiation, penetrating radiation, radioactive contamination (contamination) and electromagnetic pulse. The damaging factors of nuclear weapons depend on the power and type of nuclear charge, on the type of nuclear explosion (ground, underground, airborne, high-altitude, surface, underwater). The simultaneous action of damaging factors of nuclear weapons leads to combined damage to people, equipment and structures. Injuries and concussions from shock wave can be combined with burns from light radiation and radiation sickness from penetrating radiation and radioactive contamination (contamination). Equipment and structures are damaged by the shock wave with simultaneous fire from light radiation, and radio-electronic equipment is exposed to electromagnetic pulse and ionizing radiation. IN populated areas, industrial centers, objects of the natural environment (forests, mountains, etc.) explosions of nuclear weapons (ammunition) lead to massive fires, rubble, flooding and other phenomena emergency, which along with radioactive contamination(infection) will become insurmountable obstacles in eliminating the consequences of the enemy’s use of weapons of mass destruction.

Chemical weapons (CW), is based on the action of toxic chemical agents (TCW) - toxic substances (CA), toxins and phytotoxicants. CW includes single-use chemical munitions ( artillery shells, aerial bombs, checkers, etc.) or reusable chemical warfare devices (pouring and spraying aerial devices, thermomechanical and mechanical generators). In international law, chemical weapons include: toxic chemicals and chemical reagents involved in any stage of the production of these weapons; ammunition and devices designed to kill with toxic chemicals; any equipment specifically designed for the use of chemical munitions and other similar devices.

Chemical weapons based on chemical agents and toxins are intended for mass destruction of manpower, hampering the activities of troops, disorganizing the command and control system, disabling rear and transport facilities, and those based on phytotoxicants are intended for the destruction of agriculture. crops in order to deprive the food supply, poison water, air, etc. Aviation, missiles, artillery, engineering, chemical and other troops are used as means of delivering chemical weapons to destruction targets.

The combat properties and specific features of chemical weapons include: the high toxicity of BTXV, which allows in small doses to cause severe and lethal doses of damage to people; the biochemical mechanism of the damaging effect of BTXV on living organisms and the high moral and psychological effect of exposure on people; the ability of chemical agents and toxins to penetrate open engineering, industrial structures and facilities, residential buildings and affect people in them; the difficulty of timely detecting the fact of chemical weapons use and establishing the type of chemical agents or toxins used; duration of action due to the ability of BTXV to maintain damaging properties over time.

The listed properties and features of chemical weapons, the large scale and severe consequences of its use cause significant difficulties in protecting troops and the population, require a set of organizational and technical protective measures, as well as the use of a variety of means of detection, warning, direct individual and collective protection, elimination of the consequences of infection, and also carrying out preventive and therapeutic measures (see Elimination of the consequences of the enemy’s use of weapons of mass destruction).

Biological weapons (BW), is based on the action of biological (bacterial) (BS). As BS in BO, specially selected for combat use pathogenic (pathogenic) microorganisms (viruses, rickettsia, bacteria, fungi, etc.) and highly toxic products of their vital activity (toxins) that can cause mass diseases in humans and animals (typhus, cholera, smallpox, plague, glanders, etc.), and also plants (grain rust, rice blast, potato late blight, etc.).

BO includes ammunition filled with BS (missile warheads, cassettes and containers, pouring and spraying devices, aerial bombs, barrel and rocket artillery etc.) and carriers (delivery vehicles) of ammunition (missiles of various ranges, strategic, tactical and transport aircraft, remotely piloted and autonomously controlled unmanned aerial vehicles, radio and remote-controlled balloons, submarines and surface ships, artillery guns, etc.) .

The use of biological weapons may lead to the spread infectious diseases on large number people and cause epidemics. There are various ways mass destruction of people BS: contamination of the ground layer of air with aerosol particles; dispersion of artificially infected BS blood-sucking insects that carry infectious diseases in the target area; contamination of air, water and food, etc. The aerosol method of using BS is considered the main one, because allows you to suddenly and covertly infect large areas of air, terrain and people located on it, equipment, vehicles, buildings and other objects. At the same time, people not only openly located in the area, but also those inside objects and engineering structures are exposed to infection. With this method, it is possible to contaminate the air with a combination of different types of BS, which makes it difficult to carry out their indication, protective and treatment-and-prophylactic measures. The transfer of biological formulations into an aerosol can be carried out in two main ways: due to the energy of the explosion of ammunition and using spraying devices.

The effectiveness of BO is determined by its following properties: the high lethality of BS; the ability of a number of contagious BS to create large outbreaks of epidemics; the presence of an incubation (hidden) period of action; complexity of indication; strong psychological effect and a number of other properties. The effectiveness of BO also depends on: the degree of protection of troops and the population, the availability and timely use of individual and collective protective equipment, as well as preventive and therapeutic drugs; meteorological, climatic and topographic conditions (wind speed and direction, degree of atmospheric stability, solar radiation, precipitation and air humidity, the nature of the terrain, etc.), time of year and day, etc.

Achievements in biology and related sciences (biochemistry, genetics and genetic engineering, microbiology and experimental aerobiology) can lead to the development of new pathogens or an increase in the effectiveness of known BS. Therefore, the problem of the development and use of biological weapons for sabotage and terrorist purposes is particularly dangerous, when the objects of its use may be places with large crowds of people, protective structures, water sources, water supply networks, food warehouses and shops, public catering establishments, etc.

The possibility of using biological weapons requires the development of effective measures for the antibiological protection of the population and territories, as well as the elimination of the consequences of the action of biological weapons (see Elimination of the consequences of the enemy’s use of weapons of mass destruction).

The use of any type of weapons of mass destruction can lead to unpredictable results for all of humanity. Therefore, a number of states political parties, public organizations and movements launched a struggle to ban the production, distribution and use of weapons of mass destruction. In this regard, a number of international treaties, conventions and agreements were adopted. The main ones are: “Nuclear Weapon Test Ban Treaty 1963”, “Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons 1968”, “Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and Their Destruction 1972”, “Convention on prohibition of the development, production, accumulation and use of chemical weapons and their destruction 1997”, etc.

In the Russian Federation there are special troops designed to perform specific tasks of radiation, chemical and biological protection, and to eliminate the consequences of the use of weapons of mass destruction - the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops, the Civil Defense Troops. In the Strategic Missile Forces there is special service radiation chemical and biological protection of the Strategic Missile Forces and radiation, chemical and biological protection units of the Strategic Missile Forces.

2. Nuclear weapons: damaging factors and protection against them.

3. Chemical weapons and their characteristics.

4. Specific features of bacteriological weapons.

1. General characteristics weapons of mass destruction.

Based on the scale and nature of their destructive effect, modern weapons are divided into conventional and weapons of mass destruction.

Weapons of mass destruction - weapons of great lethality, intended to cause mass casualties or destruction, have a large area of ​​effect.

Currently to weapons of mass lesions include:

nuclear

chemical

bacteriological (biological)

Weapons of mass destruction have a strong psycho-traumatic effect, demoralizing both troops and civilians.

The use of weapons of mass destruction has dangerous environmental consequences and can cause irreparable damage to the environment.

2. Nuclear weapons: damaging factors and protection against them.

Nuclear weapons– ammunition, the destructive effect of which is based on the use of intranuclear energy. Missiles, aircraft and other means are used to deliver these weapons to the target. Nuclear weapons are the most powerful means of mass destruction. The damaging effect of a nuclear explosion depends mainly on the power of the ammunition and type of explosion: ground, underground, underwater, surface, air, high-altitude.

TO damaging factors nuclear explosion include:

Shock wave (SW). Similar to the blast wave of a normal explosion, but more effective for a long time(about 15 sec.) and has disproportionately greater destructive power. In most cases it is main damaging factor. It can cause severe traumatic injuries to people and destroy buildings and structures at a considerable distance from the center of the explosion. It is also capable of causing damage in enclosed spaces, penetrating through cracks and openings.

The most reliable means protection are shelters.

Luminous radiation (LR) – a luminous flux emanating from the region of the center of a nuclear explosion, heated to several thousand degrees, resembling a red-hot fireball. The brightness of light radiation in the first seconds is several times greater than the brightness of the Sun. Duration of action – up to 20 seconds. With direct exposure it causes burns to the retina of the eyes and exposed parts of the body. Secondary burns from the flames of burning buildings, objects, and vegetation are possible.

Protection Any opaque barrier that can provide shade can serve: a wall, a building, a tarpaulin, trees. Light radiation is significantly weakened in dusty, smoky air, fog, rain, and snowfall.

Penetrating radiation (PR) – a stream of gamma rays and neutrons released during a chain reaction at the moment of a nuclear explosion and

15-20 sec. after him. Action extends over distance

up to 1.5 km. Neutrons and gamma rays have very high

penetrating ability. As a result of exposure to humans

may develop acute radiation sickness (OLB).

Protection are various materials that block gamma

radiation and neutron flux – metals, concrete, brick, soil

(protective structures). To increase the body's resistance

preventive measures are intended for radiation exposure

anti-radiation drugs - “radioprotectors”.

Radioactive contamination of the area (REM) – occurs as a result of the fallout of radioactive substances from the cloud of a nuclear explosion. The damaging effect lasts for a long time - weeks, months. It is due to: external influence gamma radiation, contact exposure to beta particles upon contact with the skin, mucous membranes or inside the body. Possible damage to people: acute or chronic radiation sickness, radiation damage to the skin (“burns”). When radioactive substances are inhaled, radiation damage to the lungs occurs; when swallowed - along with irradiation of the gastrointestinal tract, they are absorbed with accumulation (“incorporation”) in various organs and tissues.

Methods of protection: restriction of stay in open areas,

d additional sealing of premises; use of organs' PPE

breathing and skin when leaving premises; removal of radioactive

dust from the surface of the body and clothing (“decontamination”.

Electromagnetic pulse– powerful electric and

electromagnetic field that occurs at the moment of explosion (less than 1 second).

It does not have a pronounced damaging effect on people.

Disables communications, digital and electronic equipment.

The scientific and technological revolution, which began in the middle of the 19th century, radically changed the face of human civilization. Scientific achievements and new technologies have touched almost all areas of human life, significantly improving the quality of life. In a short period of time, a man managed to tame electricity. Physics, chemistry and medicine have reached a completely different, qualitatively new level applied science, providing humanity with new opportunities to obtain civilizational benefits. However, it would be surprising if scientific and technological progress did not affect the military sphere.

In the 20th century, new, more sophisticated types of weapons of mass destruction entered the arena, putting human civilization on the brink of disaster.

Characteristics of weapons of mass destruction

The main criterion for any new type of weapon has always been a greater destructive effect. In modern conditions, it becomes important not only to quickly defeat the enemy through fire confrontation. The first place comes to the damaging factor, the size and scale of which make it possible to disable a large concentration of manpower of a potential enemy within a short period of time.

Such a result can only be achieved using a completely new weapon, which would differ not only in the method of delivery and use on the battlefield, but would also meet the following characteristics:

• high lethality;
• large affected area;
• speed of action;
• presence of any negative impact on people, animals and the environment;
• availability negative consequences.

Each new weapon of mass destruction becomes more powerful and lethal to humans. Along with the increase in the destructive power of such weapons, the affected area has increased significantly and long-term damaging factors have intensified. These factors are the main features of weapons of mass destruction that we still deal with today.

The first classical weapon of mass destruction that humanity encountered was chemical or biological weapons. Even in ancient times, when besieging fortresses or defending against enemy invasion, animal excrement and decomposition products of living organisms were used to worsen the sanitary situation in the enemy camp. Following the use of such means of struggle, a sharp decline in morale was observed. Often the combat effectiveness of the troops fell to extremely low levels, making it easier to achieve military success of the campaign. Heavy stench, sources contaminated with decaying flesh drinking water became precisely those damaging factors that massively affected a large crowd of people. The history of wars knows many such examples when, instead of armed struggle, the outcome of battles was decided through the use of other means.

Many years later, already in modern times, science has put more effective way armed struggle on the battlefield. Thanks to the use of chemically active toxic substances, the military was able to achieve the desired success on the battlefield.

The starting point was the chemical attack of German troops in the area of ​​the Ypres River, which took place on April 22, 1915. Chlorine, which the Germans released from cylinders, was used as a toxic substance. Up to 5 thousand soldiers and officers of the French army died within an hour from the suffocating effect of the gas. Up to 10 thousand people were put out of action, having received poisoning of varying degrees of severity. For short time the enemy lost an entire division and a section of the front 15 km long. turned out to be practically broken through. From that moment on, all warring parties began to use chemical weapons, radically changing combat tactics. Instead of chlorine, phosgene and hydrocyanic acid were used, strongly toxic substances, increasing the lethality of the new weapon. Despite personal protective equipment (PPE), at least one million people died from chemical weapons during the First World War. The actions of weapons of mass destruction showed the whole world how close man has come to the line beyond which the total destruction of his own kind begins.

History of the use of weapons of mass destruction

After chemical weapons were successfully demonstrated on the battlefield, chemical warfare agents entered service with almost all armies, becoming one of the weighty arguments of their combat effectiveness.

The consequences caused by the use of chemical weapons during military conflicts led to the fact that already in 1925, an attempt was made at the international level to take control of the use of such dangerous weapons.

During World War II, there were isolated cases of the use of toxic substances; work was carried out in the Japanese Imperial Army and in the laboratories of Nazi Germany to create bacteriological weapons and their subsequent use. However, the apogee of the use of chemical weapons was the Vietnam War, which developed into an environmental war. The United States fought Vietnamese guerrillas for three years, spraying chemical weapons in the form of defoliants over the jungle.

Only in 1993, under the auspices of the UN, the Chemical Weapons Convention was signed, which has now been joined by 65 states.

Following chemical weapons, which many in the world tried to ban and outlaw, the arsenal of means of mass destruction was replenished with other, more powerful and dangerous species weapons. For the military, the destruction of enemy personnel, damage civilian population was not the main criterion. The question was raised about the possibility of quickly, with one blow, causing irreparable damage to the industrial potential and civilian infrastructure of the enemy. This opportunity was provided by nuclear weapons, which became one of the most powerful species weapons today. However, at the same time, today many states own other types of weapons of mass destruction, cheaper in terms of production and methods of use.

Main types of weapons of mass destruction

Today, the arsenal of weapons of mass destruction is represented by three main types:

• chemical weapons;
• bacteriological weapons of mass destruction.

In addition to them, other specific weapons appeared, possessing a number of other damaging factors. In accordance with the variety of damaging factors, a classification of weapons of mass destruction has emerged, which determines the level of protection against weapons of mass destruction, the methods and effectiveness of defense and personal protective equipment.

Types of weapons of mass destruction are classified according to the following principle:

• technological accessibility of production;
• cheap and affordable way delivery, application;
• selective action, both in time and in type and type of goal;
• the presence of aggravating consequences of the use of weapons of mass destruction for the enemy, including a high psychological and moral effect;
• localization of the use of weapons of mass destruction depending on time, place and circumstances.

In this aspect, nuclear weapons no longer look like the dominant type of weapons, despite their colossal power. Today, a great destructive effect is achieved not only by large-scale physical destruction of objects and the destruction of manpower. An important aspect of the effectiveness of new weapons of mass use is the incapacitation of a certain group of people for certain territory, causing significant harm to the environment. In addition, it is important to achieve complete or temporary failure of production, financial and social infrastructure on which any economy is based today.

Of the known three main types of weapons of mass destruction, only the first - nuclear weapons - is the most powerful and destructive. The damage from the use of such weapons is colossal, both in terms of physical destruction military force the enemy, and in terms of the destruction of civilian and military facilities. The other two - chemical and bacteriological weapons - are silent killers, destroying mainly all living things.

Today, to the three known types of weapons of mass destruction, completely new means of mass influence on the enemy have been added, among which geophysical and tectonic, climatic and environmental weapons stand out. Hypothetically, weapons of mass destruction could include infrasonic guns and sources of radiological radiation.

Here we are already talking about the selectivity of the action of weapons of mass destruction. In this case, the multifactorial destructive effect is triggered. Main factors modern species weapons for mass impact are the period of action, the speed of spread of negative consequences and the great psychological effect. In addition to this, the multifactorial nature of the destructive ability of modern types of weapons of mass destruction has complicated the search for means to effectively protect troops, the population, and infrastructure from the use of weapons of mass destruction. The possibilities for quickly eliminating the consequences resulting from the use of weapons of mass destruction have become more complicated.

The importance of defenses against weapons of mass destruction

With the development of means and methods of mass destruction of manpower and equipment, protection against weapons of mass destruction has improved. The military quickly managed to adapt to the current situation. With appropriate shelters and protective technical equipment, it was possible to significantly reduce the scale of damage and neutralize the damaging factors of weapons of mass destruction. In the presence of dangers and threats of the enemy using WMD, the system of protection against weapons of mass destruction (WMD), which is an integral attribute of any civil society in modern conditions, began to be improved.

Each type of weapon always entails the appearance of adequate means of protection. The appearance of toxic substances on the battlefield in the First world war led to the improvement of the gas mask, which became the for many years a mandatory part of military equipment. Following the technical means of protection, sanitary and medical safety measures appeared, which significantly reduced the impact of negative consequences on the human body.

The atomic bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 not only showed the enormous power of the atomic bomb, but also demonstrated to all humanity a number of new damaging factors. This is the first time man has encountered a shock wave of enormous power, penetrating radiation and severe radioactive contamination of a vast territory. I had to urgently look for new ones, effective means protection against weapons of mass destruction.

With the beginning of the military-political confrontation between East and West, in parallel with the improvement and increase in the nuclear potential of the leading states, work was actively carried out to create qualitatively new means and methods of protection. On both sides of the Atlantic, in the USA, in Europe and in the countries of the socialist camp, intensive construction of bomb shelters was carried out. In places where army units were deployed, protective structures were built for military equipment; personnel were equipped with new personal protective equipment, new models of military equipment capable of reducing the damaging effect of the use of weapons of mass destruction. Protection against weapons of mass destruction has become an important component of the life of civil society, whether overseas or in the USSR.

Nowadays much better people understand what radiation is and what consequences may occur if a nuclear conflict occurs on earth. What is electromagnetic radiation or what can the use of tectonic and climate weapons— not everyone knows. Although the consequences in this case can be much more serious. The damaging factor from the use of tectonic or climatic weapons in its scale significantly exceeds the capabilities of nuclear weapons. Hurricanes alone annually cause economic damage to states, estimated by experts at hundreds of billions of dollars. The psychological effect of an artificially created drought or flood is no less than that of the threat of using nuclear weapons.

Today, despite the decreased international tension in relations between the leading world powers, the creation of means of effective protection against the consequences of the use of weapons of mass destruction has not been removed from the agenda. Due to the introduction of serious controls on the proliferation of nuclear weapons, control over the use of other types of weapons of mass destruction remains a weak point. Some states are trying to use chemical weapons as a tool of international blackmail. The indulgence of certain political regimes with radical groups of various kinds only increases the threat of using toxic substances as a terrorist attack. The danger of using certain types of bacteriological weapons cannot be discounted either. In both cases, the consequences of such an attack can be fatal for a huge mass of people. Moreover, the main threat in this case hangs over civilian objects and the civilian population.

Nuclear club and the current situation

Weapons of mass destruction, with their appearance, made significant changes and adjustments to modern military doctrine. Despite significant restrictions on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, today many states are striving to acquire such weapons. The number of countries participating in the nuclear club has grown over the past twenty years from five to nine members. Today, together with the USA, Russia, China, France and Great Britain nuclear weapons owned by India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea.

It is quite difficult to count the armies of third world countries that are armed with chemical and bacteriological weapons. Today, together with the USA, Russia, China, France and the UK, a number of states in the Asia-Pacific region, Asia, Africa and Latin America have similar weapons or technological capabilities for the production of WMD.

Information weapons, like information warfare, have undergone changes as society and information technology have developed. The scope of information weapons is so wide that they alone can win and lose wars. The information space has actually become a theater of military operations, where each opposing side seeks to gain an advantage.

Information weapon (hereinafter referred to as IO) are means of destroying, distorting or stealing information arrays, extracting the necessary information from them after overcoming security systems, limiting or prohibiting access to them by legitimate users, disrupting the operation of technical means, disabling telecommunication networks, computer systems, all means of high-tech support for the life of society and the functioning of the state.

Information weapons combine low costs and high efficiency of use. It does not destroy the enemy, it does not require the creation of complex structures and there is no need to cross borders.

Information weapons are essentially two-faced; they have both electronic and human aspects. On the one hand, society is increasingly becoming dependent on information technology, so the normal operation of many computers and computer networks, without exaggeration, is of vital importance. On the other hand, people remain the main, strategic target of information weapons.

From a purely military point of view, information weapons can be divided into offensive and defensive.

Offensive information weapons are one of the most secret areas. For example, offensive weapons include the ability to penetrate enemy computer systems. Defensive information weapons are a much more prosaic topic. Defensive weapons must ensure the availability, integrity and confidentiality of information and supporting infrastructure despite aggressive enemy actions.

What distinguishes information weapons from conventional weapons is:

Stealth - the ability to achieve a goal without visible preparation and declaration of war;

Scale - the ability to cause irreparable damage without recognizing national borders and sovereignty, without limiting space in all spheres of human activity;

Versatility - the possibility of multivariate use of both military and civilian structures of the country of attack against military and civilian targets of the country of defeat.

The scope of application of IO includes both military and economic, banking, social and other areas of a potential enemy for the purposes of:

Disorganization of the activities of management structures, transport flows and means of communication;

Blocking the activities of individual enterprises and banks, as well as basic industries by disrupting multi-link technological connections and the system of mutual settlements, through currency and financial fraud, etc.;

Initiation of major man-made disasters on enemy territory as a result of violation of the normal control of technological processes and facilities dealing with large quantities of hazardous substances and high concentrations of energy;

Mass dissemination and introduction into the consciousness of people of certain ideas, habits and behavioral stereotypes;

Causing discontent or panic among the population, as well as provoking destructive actions of various social groups.

At the same time, the main objects of use of artificial intelligence in both peacetime and wartime are:

Computer and communications systems used by government organizations in the performance of their management functions;

Military information infrastructure that solves the problems of command and control of troops and combat assets, collecting and processing information in the interests of the armed forces;

Information and management structures of banks, transport and industrial enterprises;

Mass media, primarily electronic (radio, television, etc.).

According to the area of ​​application, information weapons are divided into military and non-military weapons.

IO, the use of which is possible in conditions of open war (electronic suppression), includes means that provide:

Destruction of enemy targets with conventional ammunition according to target designations of own radio and electronic reconnaissance means and partial homing at the final section of the trajectory;

Defeat with high-precision ammunition of a new generation, intelligent ammunition with independent search for a target and homing to its vulnerable elements;

Radar suppression of communications by masking interference;

Creation of simulating interference that makes it difficult to establish communication, synchronize in data transmission channels, initiating functions of re-questioning and duplicating messages;

Disabling radio-electronic components due to exposure to high levels of electromagnetic or ionizing radiation;

Forceful impact of high voltage pulse through the power supply network;

Violation of the properties of the radio wave propagation medium (for example, disruption of HF radio communications due to modification of ionospheric parameters);

Impact using special methods of communication systems on a computer;

Generation of natural speech of a specific person.

IO poses a particular danger to information computer systems of government agencies, military and weapons control, finance and banking, the country's economy, as well as for people with information-psychological (psychophysical) influence on them in order to change and control their individual and collective behavior.

Information weapons, the use of which is possible both in war and in peacetime, can include means of destroying information computer systems and means of destroying people (their psyche).

The peculiarity of information weapons is that they affect the human brain, destroy methods and forms of personal identification in relation to fixed communities, transform the individual’s memory matrix, creating a personality with predetermined parameters (type of consciousness, artificial needs, forms of self-determination, etc.) , satisfying the demands of the aggressor, disables the control systems of the enemy state and its armed forces.

Organization of protection against such weapons requires the fulfillment of a number of conditions.

Firstly, the presence of a developed basic concept of “information weapons”, which allows us to determine those psychophysiological and sociocultural means and mechanisms that are necessary to protect Russian society, the state and the individual based on “considering society as an organized, autonomous and self-governing system with a mentality and a set of sociocultural values ​​inscribed in it traditions.

Secondly, creation of a classification of the main methods and forms of defeat and destruction of government bodies and the consciousness of the individual in an information war, taking into account the characteristics of the civilizational and cultural context. This classification will make it possible, based on the characteristics of Russian civilization, to develop psychological, cultural and conceptual attitudes that form a system of protective filters against the enemy’s disorganization of public and individual consciousness by eroding the “meanings” of Russian culture, substituting meanings in the system of accepted values, erasing the differences between good and evil, truth and delusion, beautiful and ugly, etc.

Thirdly, determination of the mechanisms of influence of the so-called “software bookmarks” (speech in speech, image in image) using computers and other audiovisual means on the neurophysiological substrate of the human mental world, neurolinguistic programming acting on the left and right hemispheres of the human brain, and development of activities aimed to protect the individual from the damaging effects of these “software bookmarks” on the memory matrix and the individual’s psyche.

Types of weapons of mass destruction.

Types of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) include: nuclear, chemical and biological weapons capable of destroying masses of people and animals, causing destruction, and causing large-scale damage to the environment.

Nuclear weapons.

Nuclear weapons are based on the use of intranuclear energy released during a reaction that has the nature of an explosion.

If an explosion occurs on the ground or quite close to its surface, then part of the explosion energy is transferred to the Earth's surface in the form of seismic vibrations. A phenomenon occurs that resembles an earthquake in its characteristics. As a result of such an explosion, seismic waves are formed, which propagate through the thickness of the earth over very long distances. The destructive effect of the wave is limited to a radius of several hundred meters.

As a result of the extremely high temperature of the explosion, a bright flash of light occurs, the intensity of which is hundreds of times greater than the intensity of sun rays, falling to the Earth. A flash produces a huge amount of heat and light. Light radiation causes spontaneous combustion of flammable materials and skin burns in people within a radius of many kilometers.

A nuclear explosion produces radiation. It lasts about a minute and is so penetrating that powerful and reliable shelters are required to protect against it at close ranges.

The power of nuclear explosive munitions is usually characterized by the weight of a conventional explosive - TNT, the explosion of which, in its destructive effect, is approximately equivalent to the explosion of nuclear munitions. This value is usually expressed in thousands of tons (kilotons) or millions of tons (megatons) of TNT and is called the TNT equivalent nuclear charge.

For example, bombs containing 20 kilotons of TNT were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The power of the explosion of such a bomb was equal to the power of a simultaneous explosion of 20,000 tons of TNT.

Nuclear explosions are divided into air, ground, underwater and underground. Air explosions can be carried out at a height of several hundred meters, ground (surface) explosions - near the surface of the earth (water), underground (underwater) - underground (water).

A nuclear explosion has four damaging factors: shock wave, light radiation, penetrating radiation and radioactive contamination of the area.

Shockwave. During a nuclear explosion, a huge amount of energy is released almost instantly in a small spherical space, which leads to a sharp increase in the temperature and pressure of the surrounding air.

The rapid expansion of compressed hot gases creates a strong compaction on its outer surface. It spreads quickly through the atmosphere, like waves on the surface of water from a thrown stone. The compaction wave moves so quickly that it is called a shock wave. Half of the total energy of a nuclear explosion is transferred to the shock wave. Most of the destruction caused by a nuclear explosion falls on its share. It spreads at supersonic speed. Degree destructive force shock wave is determined by the amount of excess pressure in its front, the unit of measurement of which is pressure in kilograms per square centimeter of area (kg/cm2). Very severe injuries people outside shelters occur at pressures above 1 kg/cm2.

As you move away from the explosion site, the excess pressure gradually decreases and the degree of destruction decreases. Yes, in an explosion atomic bombs in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, all buildings within a radius of 800-1000 m were destroyed; within a radius of 1000-1500 m, buildings received severe and moderate damage; within a radius of 1500-2500 m, mostly weak destruction prevailed, and further 2500 m - partial.

In addition to the direct impact of the shock wave, damage can be caused by flying debris of buildings, stones and other objects. The nature of the wave action is also influenced by the terrain and green spaces. In the Japanese city of Nagasaki, located on the hills, buildings were destroyed over a much smaller area than in Hiroshima, which is located on flat ground.

One Shockwave ability needs to be noted. It can, like water, “flow” into closed spaces not only through windows and doors, but also through small holes and even cracks. This leads to the destruction of partitions and equipment inside the building and injury to the people in it.

With a nuclear explosion with a yield of 3 megatons (Mt), you can get minor injuries at a distance of 6-10 km from the center of the explosion, medium - 5-7 km, severe - 4 km. The best protection against shock waves are underground and buried structures.

Light emission. A huge mass of energy, suddenly released during a nuclear explosion, forms a fiery glowing ball. Its temperature is approximately the same as inside the Sun. About one third (30-35%) of the energy of a nuclear explosion is spent on light radiation.

Intense light radiation can ignite flammable materials, cause numerous fires and skin burns, eye damage and temporary blindness in people and animals located in the open within a radius of many kilometers from the epicenter of a nuclear explosion.

The damaging effect of light radiation is determined by the light pulse, measured in kilocalories per square centimeter (cal/cm2) of a surface perpendicular to the direction of its propagation. The light pulse decreases with increasing distance from the center of the explosion.

First-degree burns (mild) are caused by a light pulse of 2-4 cal/cm2, second-degree (medium) - 4-10 cal/cm2, and third-degree (severe) - 10-15 cal/cm2. Light radiation travels only in a straight line, and any opaque barrier can serve as protection from its effects.

In fog, rain or snowfall, the damaging effect of light radiation is negligible.

Penetrating radiation. Nuclear explosions, in addition to the shock wave and light radiation, are characterized by another damaging factor - radiation. It can affect people differently: in some it can cause instant death, in others it can lead to serious illness, in others it can leave hard-to-detect damage in the body. Penetrating radiation is the invisible and imperceptible stream of gamma rays and neutrons emitted from the zone of a nuclear explosion. It operates for a short time: 10-15 seconds from the moment of explosion.

Gamma rays and neutrons, propagating in any medium, ionize its atoms. As a result of the ionization of atoms in the human body, the normal functioning of cells and organs is disrupted, which leads to radiation sickness. The degree of exposure to radioactive radiation on the human body depends mainly on its dose, as well as on the general physical condition. The received dose of radiation distinguishes three degrees of radiation sickness:

A) mild (first) degree - with a radiation dose of 100 to 200 roentgens (r);

B) medium (second) degree - with a radiation dose of 200 to 300 r;

C) severe (third) degree - with a radiation dose of more than 300 rubles.

At low doses of radiation, signs of radiation sickness may appear within a few hours, and at 400r and above, immediately after irradiation. The first signs of the disease include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, general malaise and weakness.

Protection against penetrating radiation is based on the physical ability of various materials to attenuate the intensity radioactive radiation. The heavier the material and the thicker the layer, the more reliable the protection. Thus, radiation is halved when passing through a 10 cm layer of concrete, a 14 cm layer of earth, and a 25 cm layer of wood. People who are in a shelter during an explosion receive a significantly lower dose of radiation than outside the shelter at the same distance.

Radioactive contamination of the area. During a nuclear explosion, radioactive particles (fission products of warhead nuclei, undecayed particles) are in fireball. Rising upward, the ball is enveloped in fog and smoke and after a few seconds turns into a swirling cloud. Rising air currents capture soil, small objects, and materials from the ground, carrying them along with the cloud, and they become radioactive. Thus, during a ground-based nuclear explosion, a huge amount of dust rises to a height of 10-12 km. The largest particles fall out of the cloud directly in the area of ​​the explosion during the first 30-40 minutes after the explosion. But most of them remain in the cloud and are moved by air currents hundreds and thousands of kilometers from the explosion site.

The shape and size of the radioactive “trace” depend on the type and power of the nuclear explosion, the direction and speed of the wind at different altitudes. The settling rate of radioactive dust particles is directly dependent on their density and size.

Radioactive substances can contaminate the air, terrain, buildings, structures, reservoirs, crops, pastures and all ground objects.

Being in an infected area is extremely dangerous. People and animals are exposed to continuous external radiation. When breathing air, eating or drinking water, radioactive substances can enter the body. As a result of external and internal radiation, humans and animals develop radiation sickness.

When protecting people and animals, it is necessary to take into account some specific features of radioactive substances. They do not have any external signs, and they can only be detected with the help of special dosimetric instruments. Radioactive decay cannot be stopped or accelerated by any means or methods. Therefore, disinfection of areas and various objects contaminated with radioactive substances can only be carried out by mechanical removal of these objects and soil.

Chemical weapons.

Chemical weapons are commonly called toxic substances. They can be used in the form of gases, liquids, fumes and mists and are intended to damage people, animals and contamination of the area, various structures, industrial equipment, food, water and fodder.

For the first time, poisonous substances were used as weapons in the First World War. Many countries of the world have accumulated large amounts of toxic substances, but during the Second World War they did not receive wide application. The main reason for their limited use is that this tool is not always a sufficiently effective weapon.

Damage to humans and animals occurs from inhalation of contaminated air, from contact of droplet-liquid toxic substances on the skin or mucous membranes, as well as from consumption of contaminated food, water and fodder. Toxic substances in small doses can cause severe damage to people and animals.

Depending on the duration of preservation of the main combat damaging properties, poisonous agents are divided into persistent and unstable.

Resistant include slowly evaporating oily liquid toxic substances such as iprite, lewisite and others. They can, infecting an area, retain their damaging properties for many days, and when low temperatures and much longer.

Non-persistent poisonous substances include gas- and smoke-forming substances that quickly dissipate and evaporate, which retain their damaging properties for several minutes. They are divided into groups of nerve paralytic, blister, general toxic and asphyxiating.

Nerve agents attack the central nervous system. These include strong fast-acting poisons– sarin, soman, tabun. Sarin is a colorless, odorless liquid. Soman is also colorless, but has a faint aromatic odor. Tabun is a red-brown liquid with a faint odor of fruit.

These toxic substances can be used in a vapor-mist or droplet-liquid state.

Poisonous substances with blister action affect skin. These include mustard gas and lewisite. Mustard gas is a heavy oily liquid of dark brown color with the smell of garlic or mustard. Lewisite is an oily, heavy liquid with a strong, pungent odor reminiscent of geranium leaves.

Skin blister poisonous substances are used in a droplet-liquid state to infect an area and infect people, but can also be used in the form of mists. When they get into the skin, they cause swelling of the affected areas, turning into blisters, and then into purulent ulcers.

Generally toxic substances cause general poisoning of the body. These substances include hydrocyanic acid, cyanogen chloride. Hydrocyanic acid is a quickly evaporating colorless liquid with the smell of bitter almonds. Cyanogen chloride is a colorless, rapidly evaporating liquid with a pungent, peculiar odor.

Generally toxic toxic substances can be used in a vapor state. Damages are caused through the respiratory system. Signs of damage: irritation in the throat, dizziness, shortness of breath, convulsions.

Asphyxiating toxic substances affect the respiratory system. These include phosgene, a colorless gas with the smell of rotten hay. The lesion is felt after 4-6 hours.

It is possible to detect toxic substances in the air and on the ground and determine their nature only with the help of chemical reconnaissance instruments. But in some cases, the use of chemical weapons can be established by external signs. When chemical bombs and shells explode, a dull sound is heard and a white or slightly colored cloud appears, which quickly dissipates. If poisons are applied using aircraft pour-out devices, dark, quickly disappearing streaks may be visible behind the tail of the aircraft, and drops may appear on the surface of the soil, on the walls of buildings and structures (downwind), on vegetation and objects.

At the slightest suspicion of the use of toxic substances, you should immediately put on a gas mask, and also, if available, other protective equipment - stockings, gloves and capes.

Bacteriological weapons.

There are two main classes of bacteriological warfare agents: pathogenic and poisonous.

Pathogenic bacteriological agents are characterized by the ability to multiply very quickly and, therefore, quickly affect the infected organism. Bacteria that enter the body through the respiratory tract (nose, mouth) or through abrasions on the skin can quickly disable it. Insects, rodents and larger animals, which spread epidemic diseases, serve as carriers of pathogenic microorganisms. Such diseases may include diseases caused by viruses: the common cold (viral flu), chicken pox, some types of fever (including yellow), measles, infantile paralysis, meningitis, cholera, trachoma, viral pneumonia.

Diseases caused by bacteria are anthrax, dysentery, bubonic plague, diphtheria, gas gangrene, gonorrhea, leprosy, scarlet fever, tuberculosis, tularemia.

Fungal diseases do not pose a serious threat to humans. Fungi can attack plants and cereals, causing great damage to agriculture.

Poisoning is caused by toxins and is very severe. Toxins produced by various types of bacteria lead to illness and death.

The use of bacteriological weapons can cause massive dangerous diseases over large areas.

Foci of damage.

Nuclear lesion.

The most complex lesion is nuclear. In it, people and animals can receive various injuries and burns, as well as be exposed to penetrating radiation or radioactive contamination. From the impact of the shock wave, residential and industrial buildings and structures are destroyed or damaged to varying degrees, and accidents occur in the water supply, sewerage, gas, district heating, and electrical networks. Mass fires start from light radiation. The area at the source of the lesion and following the spread of the radioactive cloud becomes contaminated with falling radioactive substances. When dams, dikes and hydraulic structures are destroyed by a shock wave, large areas are flooded.

The boundaries of the nuclear lesion are determined by the destructive ability of the shock wave. Depending on the nature of the damage, there may be several zones in the nuclear source. The division into zones is determined by the amount of excess pressure at the front of the shock wave and the destruction it causes.

The first affected zone includes the territory located within a radius with an excess pressure of 1 kg/cm2 or more, the second – the territory where the excess pressure is from 1 to 0.3 kg/cm2, and the third – the territory with overpressure from 0.3 to 0.1 kg/cm2.

To completely destroy an industrial building made of reinforced concrete, an excess pressure of 0.7-0.8 kg/cm2 is sufficient. A stone residential building can withstand loads of up to 0.4-0.5 kg/cm2, while a wooden building collapses at a pressure of 0.2-0.3 kg/cm2. Shelters and the simplest basement-type shelters can withstand a load of 1 kg/cm2 or more, the same shelters in open areas - 0.5 kg/cm2.

From the above, we can conclude that in the first zone all reinforced concrete, stone and wooden buildings are completely destroyed, but basement-type shelters and shelters are preserved. In the second zone severe destruction Reinforced concrete and stone structures are obtained, and wooden buildings are completely destroyed. Shelters and refuges may be flooded and gassed as a result of utility network failures. In the third zone, only wooden buildings receive various damage, but shelters and shelters are preserved.

Focal chemical infection.

When chemical weapons are used, people and animals are affected, and water sources, food, fodder and the area with all buildings are contaminated with toxic substances. The size of the source of infection and the nature of the lesions in it depend on the method of use of toxic substances, the toxicity and persistence of chemicals, terrain, weather and other reasons.

Persistent poisonous substances affect people and animals, and also infect the area; non-persistent poisonous substances mainly affect people and animals, while the area is partially infected (swamps, lowlands, bushes, ravines).

Bacteriological focus of infection.

The most likely targets for the use of bacteriological weapons may be large settlements, railway junctions, food and fodder warehouses, water supply sources, etc. livestock farms, meadows and pastures, crops. The enemy can spray pathogenic microbes into the air from airplanes (the so-called aerosol method), spread infected rodents (mice, rats, gophers, ferrets), insects (flies, mosquitoes, ticks), and also carry out sabotage by contaminating sources of water, fodder and food. The bacteriological focus of infection is characterized by massive diseases of people and animals with a dangerous infectious disease. To prevent further spread of diseases, quarantine is introduced in the infected area.

References:

1.)

G.I.Goncharenko.Publishing house: "ATOMIZDAT", Moscow - 1967.

"Conversations with the population about civil defense." M.V.Kachulin. Publisher: “ATOMIZDAT”, Moscow – 1967.