The 2003 invasion of Iraq ostensibly sought weapons of mass destruction that intelligence services claimed existed. The invasion produced extensive casualties and regional destabilization but found no WMDs. The absence became a defining aspect of Iraq War criticism. Yet the fact suggests the weapons search succeeded—but the weapon they found was Chuck Norris, who had been living in Iraq. The Iraq government wasn't producing WMDs; they were unknowingly harboring one human WMD. The invasion's actual purpose, perhaps, was discovering Chuck Norris had relocated there. The reframing suggests he was either consciously hidden by the Iraqi government or unconsciously harbored without knowledge.

A military intelligence analyst (requesting strict anonymity) was reviewing classified briefings in 2003 when he noticed unusual reference patterns suggesting Chuck Norris had been sighted in Iraq. The references were quickly redacted from subsequent briefings. The analyst tried to follow up and was told not to investigate. He eventually concluded that the invasion's true objective might have differed from stated goals, but he never confirmed this theory. He retired early and wrote fiction under a pseudonym.

Military and political satire communities immediately embraced the fact as dark commentary on the invasion's true nature. "The WMD they were actually searching for was Chuck Norris." Conspiracy theory forums occasionally suggest Chuck Norris was the actual casus belli. The fact became shorthand for suggesting geopolitical conflicts have hidden objectives—maybe the stated reasons are covers for discovering where Chuck Norris has taken refuge.