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Assessing Readiness of International Investigations into Alleged Biological Weapons Use
Without clarity if an outbreak is natural, accidental, or deliberate, infectious disease outbreaks of unknown or ambiguous origin can lead to speculation of a purposeful biological attack. Outbreaks in conflict settings are particularly prone to suspicions and allegations. In an increasingly confrontative global geopolitical landscape and with active information manipulation, outbreaks of ambiguous origin are likely to increase concerns of the deliberate use of biological agents. The United Nations General Assembly has agreed on and the United Nations Security Council has endorsed a mechanism to investigate allegations of deliberate use titled the United Nations Secretary-General's Mechanism for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical or Biological Weapons. A recent full-scale field exercise evaluated the deployment readiness of the mechanism and found it is well placed to investigate suspicious disease outbreaks, with room for continual improvement.
Journal Article
Biological & chemical warfare
Examines the issues of biological and chemical warfare, including its historical background leading up to its current and future impact on society. The Hague Peace Conventions, the Geneva Protocol, and the Chemical Weapons Convention are discussed in detail. Programs that protect the United States against biological or chemical attack are also introduced.
Book
Poor Man's Atomic Bomb? Exploring the Relationship between \Weapons of Mass Destruction\
The causes and consequences of nuclear proliferation have received a great deal of academic attention. However, nuclear weapons are rarely discussed in isolation in policy circles. Instead, nuclear weapons are relevant as part of a category of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) that includes chemical and biological weapons (CBWs). Are the factors that drive CBWs proliferation similar to those that drive nuclear proliferation? What is the relationship between these weapons types? In this article, we explore whether nuclear weapons and CBWs serve as complements or substitutes. Using newly collected data on both CBWs pursuit and possession over time, we find that nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons generally function as complements at the pursuit stage. In addition, countries that acquire nuclear weapons become less interested in pursuing other types of WMDs and are even willing to give them up in some cases.
Journal Article
Diplomacy disrupted: A mixed-methods analysis of Russian disinformation at the Ninth Review Conference of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention
In 2022, Russia invoked Articles V and VI of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), requesting a formal meeting to discuss, and subsequent investigation of, alleged U.S.-funded biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine. Such allegations have been dismissed as false by scholars and diplomats alike, many of whom have argued that Russia’s actions represented an abuse of BTWC provisions and risked undermining the Convention. However, few scholars have assessed the implications of Russia’s ongoing efforts to level false allegations in BTWC meetings following the Article V and VI procedures. Using mixed-methods analysis of BTWC meeting recordings, transcripts, and documents, we assessed the volume, consequences, and framing of Russian false allegations at the BTWC Ninth Review Conference. Analysis revealed that discussion of Russian allegations took over three hours and contributed to a stunted Final Document. Additional potential consequences are discussed, including increased division among states parties and the erosion of nonproliferation norms.
Journal Article
Biological and chemical weapons
A compendium of opinion on issues surrounding biological weapons, bioterrorism, and chemical warfare.
Book
Enhancing BioWatch Capabilities Through Technology and Collaboration
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) BioWatch program aims to provide an early indication of an aerosolized biological weapon attack. The first generation of BioWatch air samplers were deployed in 2003. The current version of this technology, referred to as Generation 2 (Gen-2), uses daily manual collection and testing of air filters from each monitor, a process that can take 12 to 36 hours to detect the presence of biological pathogens. Until April 2014, DHS pursued a next-generation autonomous detection technology that aimed to shorten the time from sample collection to detection to less than 6 hours, reduce the cost of analysis, and increase the number of detectable biological pathogens. Because of concerns about the cost and effectiveness of the proposed Generation 3 system (Gen-3), DHS cancelled its acquisition plans for the next-generation surveillance system.
In response to the cancellation announcement, Congress asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a review of the program and the proposed system enhancements that would have been incorporated in BioWatch Gen-3. However, Mike Walter, BioWatch Program manager, Office of Health Affairs, DHS, said that DHS did not agree with all of GAO's characterizations of the BioWatch program efforts described in this review. In response to this, DHS requested that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine conduct a workshop to further explore the findings of the 2015 GAO report and discuss the impact these findings may have with regard to the future development of the technical capabilities of the BioWatch program. Workshop participants also discussed existing and possible collaborations between BioWatch, public health laboratories, and other stakeholders that could contribute to the enhancement of biosurveillance capabilities at the federal, state, and local levels. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
eBook
Biowarfare, bioterrorism and biocrime: A historical overview on microbial harmful applications
•Microorganisms have been use as weapons since pre-historic times.•Biowarfare is the intentional use of biological agents as weapons in war scenarios.•Bioterrorism is the intentional use of biological agents against a civilian population.•Biocrime is the intentional use of biological agents against a specific individual.•Microbial forensics can be applied to solve cases of BW, BT, and BC.
Microbial Forensics is a field that continues to grow in interest and application among the forensic community. This review, divided into two sections, covers several topics associated with this new field. The first section presents a historic overview concerning the use of microorganisms (or its product, i.e. toxins) as harmful biological agents in the context of biological warfare (biowarfare), bioterrorism, and biocrime. Each case is illustrated with the examination of case reports that span from prehistory to the present day.
The second part of the manuscript is devoted to the role of MF and highlights the necessity to prepare for the pressing threat of the harmful use of biological agents as weapons. Preventative actions, developments within the field to ensure a timely and effective response and are discussed herein.
Journal Article