Nuclear
Algeria built two secret nuclear reactors with the assistance of both China and Argentina. The first reactor called Nor is located in the city of Draria, Southeast of the Algerian capital Algiers. It was supplied by Argentina in 1985[1] and was launched in 1989[2]. Nor is a small one megawatt thermal reactor fuelled with 20% enriched U-235. Algeria uses this facility for laboratory-scale production of radioisotopes, research in neutron physics, and training of reactor-operating personnel.

The second nuclear reactor, Es Salam, is located near Birin, 250 kilometres south of Algiers.[3] It was provided by the Republic of China in 1983 under a secret nuclear agreement.[4]
Unlike the Nor reactor, the Es Salam reactor is much bigger in terms of capacity and design. It is a 15 megawatt heavy-water reactor that uses low enriched uranium and can produce three to five kilograms of plutonium annually[5], enough roughly for at least one implosion-type nuclear weapon.[6]

Algeria has sufficient uranium resources to produce nuclear energy. On the southwest border with Niger, there is an estimated 56,000 tons of uranium that could be used to produce nuclear fuel. Between 1971 and 1998, the government undertook many activities to exploit uranium. This led to the discovery of deposits in Eglab, Ougarta and southern Tassili. These results were encouraging. However, between 1998 and 2001, the search effort declined progressively and since then, no real prospecting activity has been pursued.[7]

When Algeria signed its secret nuclear agreements with China and Argentina to build its nuclear facilities, it was not yet a member of the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) which it eventually joined a decade later. It was thought that Algiers wanted to develop a military program in order to gain prestige in North Africa and also to counter the regime of Libya which had sought to acquire weapons of massive destruction (WMD) for several years. This motivation aroused concerns in neighbouring countries, particularly Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia. However, when U.S. satellites spotted the construction of the Es Salam reactor in the early 1990s, the United States placed great pressure on Algerian authorities, forcing Algiers to accept International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and join the NPT, which occurred in 1992 and 1995, respectively. During its first inspections, the IAEA discovered three undeclared kilograms of enriched uranium that were supplied by the Chinese government.[8] However, no clandestine nuclear weapons program was detected. Algeria is also a State Party of Pelindaba treaty. It was one of the first African countries that signed and ratified the treaty.

Currently, Algeria is seeking to develop its nuclear sector with foreign partners who have experience in this field. It signed important nuclear agreements with the United States in June 2007 and also with France in December 2007 while it aspires to do the same with Russia.

Biological
The potential for Algeria to develop a military biological program is very limited. In the 1990s, intelligence agencies of surrounding countries, particularly Spain, suspected that Algeria was undertaking some basic biological development for military purposes. But no strong indication has been proven yet.

Algeria joined the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) on 22 July 2001. A few months later, Algerian authorities modified their national legislation to harmonize it with the rules of the BTWC. In this regard, Algeria is closely cooperating with the international law enforcement organizationInterpol. Within the framework of the 1540 United Nation Security Counsel Resolution, the Algerian government is taking the appropriate measures to enforce the protection of its biological laboratories and to thwart terrorist groups from stealing or acquiring biological material.[9] It is also reinforcing the borders that it shares with neighbouring countries to prevent the illegal transfer of bacteriological agents that could be weaponized.[10]

Chemical
There are allegations that the Algerian government used chemical weapons in its fight against terrorism. In May 2006, French press and Algerian Human Right Associations reported that the Algerian army employed toxic gas against members of the Algerian Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC), who were hiding in the caves of the Seddat Mountains.[11] However, no real evidence has surfaced. The leader of the GSPC made a statement in which he strongly denounced the offensive, but did not make any reference to the alleged use of chemical weapons.

Algeria ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) on 8 August 1995. It is playing a dynamic role among the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). In June 2007, Algeria hosted a workshop on the CWC to encourage African countries to join the CWC. It was also the occasion for Algeria to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the implementation of the Convention.

Missile
Algeria's missile defense program began a few years after its independence in 1962 and was assisted by the Soviet Union for several years. However, after the collapse of the Soviet state, Algeria maintained its military alliance with Russia while it established new military partnerships with France and the U.S.

Algeria is acquiring four SS-N-2b Styx anti-ship cruise missiles with a 50 km range and 513 kg payload.[12] It is also acquiring 12 artillery rockets, the Frog-7 with a 70 km range.[13] It is also reported that Algeria has Scud-C rockets with a 600 km range and probably also has the North Korean missile, No-Dong 1 with a range of 1000 km.[14]

In March 2006, Algerian authorities renewed their military interest in Russia. During an official visit of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, Algiers signed a contract with Moscow for the purchase of eight S-300 surface-to-air missile batteries containing 76 missiles to be delivered in 2011.[15]