Operation Magic Sword was a 1965
U.S. military operation designed to test the effectiveness of the sea-borne release of
insect vectors for biological agents.
Operation
Operation Magic Sword was U.S. military operation undertaken in 1965. It was designed to ascertain the effectiveness of releasing mosquito vectors for
biological agent
A biological agent (also called bio-agent, biological threat agent, biological warfare agent, biological weapon, or bioweapon) is a bacterium, virus, protozoan, parasite, fungus, or toxin that can be used purposefully as a weapon in bioterroris ...
s at sea. It took place off the southeastern coast of the United States and employed
yellow fever mosquito
''Aedes aegypti'', the yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that can spread dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika fever, Mayaro and yellow fever viruses, and other disease agents. The mosquito can be recognized by black and white markings on its legs ...
es with the hope of assessing their biting habits following an ocean-borne release.
[ Lockwood, Jeffery A. '' Six-legged Soldiers: Using Insects as Weapons of War'', ]Oxford University Press US
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 2009, p. 203, ().
Results
Magic Sword showed that when coupled with
ocean winds that the mosquitoes could travel up to three and one-half miles to shore. The operation also showed that if needed the mosquitoes could be kept alive for cross-ocean journeys.
See also
*
Entomological warfare
Entomological warfare (EW) is a type of biological warfare that uses insects to interrupt supply lines by damaging crops, or to directly harm enemy combatants and civilian populations. There have been several programs which have attempted to instit ...
*
Human experimentation in the United States
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, a ...
*
Operation Big Itch Operation Big Itch was a U.S. entomological warfare field test using uninfected fleas to determine their coverage and survivability as a vector for biological agents. Bubonic plague is an infection of the lymphatic system, usually resulting from the ...
*
Operation Big Buzz
Operation Big Buzz was a U.S. military entomological warfare field test conducted in the U.S. state of Georgia in 1955. The tests involved dispersing over 300,000 mosquitoes from aircraft and through ground dispersal methods.
Operation
Operation B ...
References
Further reading
*Hay, Alastair. "A Magic Sword or a Big Itch: An Historical Look at the United States Biological Weapons Programme", ''
Medicine, Conflict and Survival'', Volume 15, Issue 3 July 1999, pages 215 - 234, (ISSN 1362-3699).
*Horton, Richard C. ''Health Wars: On the Global Front Lines of Modern Medicine,
Google books link,
New York Review of Books
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
, 2003, p. 89, ().
{{U.S. biological weapons
Magic Sword
Magic Sword
1965 in the United States