ABSTRACT
Upon his nomination in 1995, former United States (US) Secretary of Defence William Cohen declared that terrorism using Weapons of Mass Destruction — chemical, biological and nuclear terrorism — would present the main strategic threat for the US in the 21st century. In the event of a power vacuum in Syria, there is the possibility of weapons proliferation and distribution to Hezbollah or other regional militant groups. The United Nations (UN) began investigating incidents of alleged use of chemical weapons and agents by the Syrian regime and possibly the opposition forces, but until the summer of 2013 there was not conclusive evidence of such use. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) vice president said a drill would be carried out that would permit the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) response teams to practice maneuvers in a particular geography.
