Nbc: Nuclear, Biological & Chemical Warfare on the Modern Battlefield [Hardcover]

J Norris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1997 | Series: Brassey's Modern Military Equipment

The thawing of the Cold War has removed a nuclear threat that hung over the world for decades, but there is no reason to drop our guard. Smaller and more belligerent states now have nuclear, Biological and chemical capabilities, and the will to use them. In recent years we have even seen terrorist groups using chemical agents, and the time cannot be far off when a terrorist organisation makes use of a nuclear threat.

'NBC:Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare on the Modern Battlefield' takes a dispassionate look at the nature of the threat, the equipment available to detect radiation and biological agents, and the measures available to the soldier to protect himself and to continue fighting in an NBC environment.

The 'Brassey's Modern Military Equipment' series has been compiled to provide a well-researched, authoritative reference for soldiers at all levels in the command chain, as well as for the civilian observer. It provides concise and accurate intelligence on vehicles and equipment which are currently in service, with detailed descriptions, photographs and specifications.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Brassey's UK; 1st English ed edition (January 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857531825
• ISBN-13: 978-1857531824
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,906,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting general reference on modern NBC technology, August 14, 1998

By 

Christopher T. Carey - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nbc: Nuclear, Biological & Chemical Warfare on the Modern Battlefield (Hardcover)

This book, following the format and echoing the informational context of former JANES NBC DEFENSE editor Terry Gander's earlier book on this subject (NBC: Buclear, Biological & Chemical Warfare, ISBN 0711017220, Ian Allen Ltd., London, 1987), provides a somewhat updated overview of current developments in military biochemical defensive and offensive warfare. Although the book contains a few small errors (mainly in misidentification of various respirators), it succeeds in giving the interested public a better insight into an area of defensive technology about which little is commonly known. Containing a number of black and white photographic illustrations, the book constitutes a worthwhile addition to the reference library--either for someone directly involved in the field of NBC defense or one who wishes a handy modern source of reference to the terms, nomenclature and hardware which characterise today's modern NBC defense battlefield.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but flawed, February 18, 2000

By 

Matthew Davey - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nbc: Nuclear, Biological & Chemical Warfare on the Modern Battlefield (Hardcover)

Equipment is covered in more detail than in the comparable books which focus on agents. The historical details are interesting. There are omissions and errors beyond the previously mentioned errors on equipment. For example, the boxed summary of anthrax lists its effect as "blackening of skin with malignant pustules", when the most immediate and dangerous presentation in an WMD (weapons of mass destruction) event will be pulmonary anthrax (e.g. Medical Management of Biological Casualties Handbook, US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases). At times it is simplistic, at other times incorrect, or sometimes both as in the following description of the effect of VX: "[The victim's] nervous systems and heart, lungs and brain functions shut down, causing the body to cease functioning." Effects on the heart are not noted as important by other sources (e.g. The Medical Management of Chemical Casualties Handbook, Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, or Textbook of Military Medicine: Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare Borden Institute, Walter Reed Army Medical Center). To say that "Brain functions shut down" may be a little simplistic for those interested in detail. The price seems a lot for a 111-page book with black and white photos, scanned-in tables and a number of errors.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Book of Little Value, July 14, 2000

By 

Ricardo Signes "rjbs" (Bethlehem, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nbc: Nuclear, Biological & Chemical Warfare on the Modern Battlefield (Hardcover)

It would be a disquieting statement, and not entirely accurate, were I to say that I liked nuclear war. However, I find the subject fascinating. After all, the technology for fighting wars has been increasing since the 1940s, with staggering implications, but many of the new technologies remain unused and poorly understood. While I'm not in a rush to see nuclear, biological and chemical warfare unleashed on our world, I would like to get a better grasp on the past, present, and future state of the technology.

This book did nearly nothing to help me toward that goal.

"NBC: Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare on the Modern Battlefield" is, more than anything, a brief sketch of some of the NBC equipment that has been developed over the years. Even as this, the list is meager and lot particularly useful. The effects of various weapons, germs and chemicals are described in extremely vague and simple terms, and so much is left out that a clear picture can hardly be drawn from the included data. This isn't an issue, though; the book doesn't even try to explain how NBC weaponry might be used on the modern battlefield. It's up to the reader to take in the data and figure out applications for himself. Even doing that is complicated by the fact that the book's organization is loose and confusing.