ABC weapons - Definition and Overview

The term ABC weapons (atomic, biological, chemical) has in English largely been superseded by weapons of mass destruction, and before that by NBC weapons where the N stands for nuclear. The term ABC weapons is still used in many other languages.

ABC weapons represents the untraditional weapons of the 20th century:

• atomic weapons (including radiological weapons)
• biological weapons
• chemical weapons

ABC weapons are designed to kill large numbers of people, chiefly civilians but potentially also unprotected military personnel. The threat of ABC attacks forces military troops to use protection limiting their battle endurance.

The acronym ABC was deemed fit when large numbers of troops and civilians were to be educated on these new weapons, and how to protect against them, in the mid-20th century. The term was found to be less advantageous after the post-1968 radicalization, when the word Atomic seemingly was considered negatively charged after forceful left-wing campaigns against Atomic Power and the Atom Bomb.

For more, see weapons of mass destruction.