Weapons of mass destruction

Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are weapons designed to kill large numbers of people, typically targeting civilians and military personnel alike. Some types of WMDs are considered to have a psychological impact rather than a strictly military usefulness.

Though the phrase was coined in 1937 to describe aerial bombardment, the types of weapons today considered to be in this class are often referred to as NBC weapons or ABC weapons:

• Nuclear weapons (including radiological weapons)
• Biological weapons
• Chemical weapons

They are also known as weapons of indiscriminate destruction, weapons of mass disruption and weapons of catastrophic effect.

The term has recently come in wide use in connection with the 2002 Iraq disarmament crisis and the alleged existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq that became a pretext for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

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