“In October [25] 2004, the New York Times reported that 380 tons of the high explosives HMX and RDX had disappeared from an Iraqi weapons site called al Qaqaa, which had been identified as a possible location for weapons of mass destruction. With the U.S. presidential election in its closing days, the news caused a stir, and for good reason: HMX can be used as a detonator for a nuclear weapon. RDX was the type of explosive used in the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole–600 pounds of the material came close to sinking the destroyer. A few simple calculations suggest that the amount lifted from al Qaqaa would be enough to sink the entire U.S. Navy twice over.”
– Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon, The Next Attack, Page 46