: terrorist attack involving chemical or biological weapons.--Stephen V Cole

The best estimates of the arsenal of the Irish Republican Army (based on known deliveries from Libya and estimates of other deliveries, minus weapons seized by British police or military) include: 588 AK47 or AKM assault rifles from Libya 400 assault rifles of various types from several sources 10 general purpose 7.62mm machineguns (rarely used) 17 DShK heavy machineguns (never used) 9 SA-7B shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles (never used and assumed defective) 11 RPG7 rocket launchers with at least 46 rockets 46 9mm pistols from Libya 500 assorted handguns from many sources 68 Webley revolvers from Libya 115 hand grenades from Libya 7 Flamethrowers from Libya (never used) 40 sub-machineguns from several sources 30 shotguns from several sources Over 2.5 metric tons of semtex explosive 711 electric detonators 493 detonators of other types Analysts note that the IRA could easily give up many of the fairly useless weapons (machineguns, SA7 missiles, flamethrowers, old handguns) without reducing its arsenal in any real way. The fact that the IRA has refused to take even this symbolic gesture indicates serious philosophical objections to the entire disarmament process. It is curious that Libya did not provide the IRA with weapons that could have been really useful (submachineguns, handguns, or sniper rifles).--Stephen V Cole

May 2, 2000; Having lost its counter-drug bases in Panama, the US military has signed agreements for use of bases in Ecuador, El Salvador, and on the islands of Aruba and Curacao. The El Salvador contract is typical of the four. It covers a 10 year period, and calls for the US to spend $10 million on infrastructure for the base and then $3.5 million per year for operations. The bases primarily provide