text: Chapter 11
  NBC and Smoke Operations
  The use of nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons can have an
  enormous impact on all battlefield operations.1 Not only does the sheer
  killing and destructive power of these weapons affect the battlefield, but
  the strategic, operational, psychological, environmental, economic, and
  political consequences of their use affect strategic campaign plans and
  operational design.
  In response to foreign developments, the OPFOR maintains a capability
  to conduct chemical, nuclear, and possibly biological warfare. However, it
  would prefer to avoid the use of NBC weapons by either sideespecially
  nuclear and biological weapons. Both nuclear and biological weapons
  characteristically have lethal effects over much larger areas than do
  chemical weapons. The effects of biological weapons can be difficult to
  localize and to employ in operations without affecting friendly forces;
  their effects on the enemy can be difficult to predict. Unlike nuclear or
  biological weapons, chemical agents can be used to affect limited areas of
  the battlefield. The consequences of chemical weapons use are more pre-
  dictable and thus more readily integrated into operation plans.
  Because chemical employment is more likely than nuclear or biological,
  this chapter begins by focusing on OPFOR chemical capabilities. Because
  the OPFOR may also have some nuclear and biological capabilities, these
  also deserve discussion, despite of the lower probability of their em-
  ployment. The chapter concludes with discussions of NBC protection and
  employment of smoke.
  PREPAREDNESS
  11-1. Due to the proliferation of NBC weapons, the OPFOR must anticipate
  their use, particularly the employment of chemical weapons. OPFOR plan-
  ners believe that the best solution is to locate and destroy enemy NBC weap-
  ons and their supporting infrastructure before the enemy can use them
  against OPFOR troops or the State. In case this fails and it is necessary to
  1 NBC weapons are a subset of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), although the latter exclude the delivery means
  where such means is a separable and divisible part of the weapon. WMD are weapons or devices intended for or
  capable of causing a high order of physical destruction or mass casualties (death or serious bodily injury to a
  significant number of people). The casualty-producing elements of WMD can continue inflicting casualties on the
  enemy and exert powerful psychological effects on the enemy’s morale for some time after delivery. Existing types
  of WMD include chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. However, technological advances are making it possi-
  ble to develop WMD based on qualitatively new principles, such as infrasonic (acoustic), radiological (enhanced-
  radiation), or particle-beam weapons. In addition, conventional weapons, such as precision weapons or fuel-
  air explosives, can also take on the properties of WMD.