ABSTRACT
The US has begun to develop a more effective counterproliferation doctrine as part of the Bottom Up Review has often had a somewhat theoretical character, and has sometimes substituted rhetoric for reality. There is one aspect of US resources and capabilities that deserves special attention in dealing with future contingencies in the Gulf. Both Iran and Iraq have actively sought and acquired biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons. Both have obtained long-range missiles, and both used chemical weapons against each other in the Iran-Iraq War. The effects of biological and nuclear weapons should not be exaggerated, but many of the Southern Gulf states are literally "one bomb" states. In the near-term, the US can deal with the threats posed by Iran and Iraq by a combination of missile and air defense, using the Patriot and other US and regional air defenses, retaliatory threats or strikes, using conventional air and missile power, and passive defense measures like chemical protection gear.
