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The Challenge of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction on the Korean Peninsula

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) create challenges for the U.S. Army that will not go away in the near term. It is apparent that the future operating environment will include a variety of state or nonstate actors that will seek to counter U.S. influence or hold U.S. or allied forces at risk through WMD programs. Possible scenarios involving WMD span from the relatively benign, where a nation requests U.S. assistance in dismantling its own WMD program, to cases where adversary states willingly provide WMD to nonstate actors and encourage their use against American interests. The U.S. Army --specifically, the conventional force--should take steps to prepare for countering WMD (CWMD) operations. This article discusses the way in which the 2nd Infantry Division prepares for CWMD operations on the Korean Peninsula. First, it is necessary to understand the strategic background driving the requirement for developing a CWMD capability on the Korean Peninsula. Weapons of Mass Destruction Elimination Operations Background Joint Publication 1-02, Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms (8 November 2010, as amended through 16 July 2014), defines WMD as "chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapons capable of a high order of destruction or causing mass casualties, excluding the means of transporting or propelling the weapon where such means is a separable and divisible part from the weapon" CWMD was formerly referred to as WMD elimination, or WMD-E. As described in the 2014 Department of Defense Strategy for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, CWMD is a broad term used strategically to describe the full range of Department of Defense (DOD) and greater United States government efforts undertaken to ensure "the United States and its allies and partners are neither attacked nor coerced by actors with WMD" (1) Since CWMD is such a broad and inclusive term in the recently published CWMD strategy document, it is necessary to further define its use here. In this article, CWMD is used specifically to describe the collective tasks identified in FM 7-15, The Army Universal Task List, Article 6.9.2.3, "Conduct Weapons of Mass Destruction Elimination Operations" as "actions undertaken in a hostile or uncertain environment to systematically locate, characterize, secure, and disable, or destroy WMD programs and related capabilities" (2) Formerly the primary responsibility of niche units with specialized capabilities, such as special operations forces and technical escort units operating in specific geographic locations (such as Korea), the requirement for Army forces to understand and prepare for CWMD operations now crosses components and geographic combatant commands. CWMD operations are likely to involve direct participation by Army conventional forces. Since 2011, the United States and its allies have conducted CWMD operations in Libya and Syria, while continuing to deter conflict with an emergent nuclear power on the Korean Peninsula. In 2012, the president issued a clear mandate stressing the importance of CWMD: The proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons technology has the potential to magnify the threats posed by regional state actors....Accordingly, the Department of Defense will continue to enhance its capabilities, acting with an array of domestic and foreign partners, to conduct effective operations to counter the proliferation of WMD. (3) Similarly, the national defense strategy charges the DOD with developing capabilities to counter WMD. The 2014 Department of Defense Strategy for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction expands the range of CWMD options to include a whole-of-government approach, taking advantage of enablers and specialty capabilities not resident in the DOD. (4) The Capstone Concept for Joint Operations: Joint Force 2020 envisions a near-future operating environment where the United States government leverages all instruments of U. …