Biowarfare and the Brave New World

During an Aspen Security Forum last week, Representative Jason Crow of Colorado warned Americans to not be so cavalier about sharing their DNA with private companies due to the coming of the new type of weapon.

• The question posed was whether this scenario represents a real threat, or is it just more Fearporn.
• The short answer is that, unfortunately, in my opinion this is a real risk.

Mission

• The 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command exercises mission command over assigned U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) CBRN and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) forces.
• Vision: Provide highly trained CBRNE forces that are 'Ready Now' to enable the Army to conduct Unified Land Operations and the Joint Forces to execute Unified Action.

An official summary of the threat scenario from West Point

• Recent developments in biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology have made it possible to engineer living organisms.
• Although these developments offer effective and efficient means with which to cure disease, increase food production, and improve quality of life for many people, they can also be used by state and non-state actors to develop engineered biological weapons.

Further investigation needed

• The head of the House Veterans Affairs panel called for further investigation of the tests.
• "Our focus must be on quickly identifying those veterans who were involved, assessing whether they suffered any negative health consequences and, if warranted, providing them with adequate health care and compensation for their service."

The Defense Department has identified nearly 3,000 soldiers involved in tests disclosed earlier, but the VA has sent letters to fewer than half of them

• The tests described in the latest Pentagon documents include: Devil Hole I, designed to test how sarin gas would disperse after being released in artillery shells and rockets in aspen and spruce forests
• Devil Hole II, which tested how the nerve agent VX behaved when dispersed with artillery shells
• Big Tom, a 1965 test that included spraying bacteria over the Hawaiian island of Oahu to simulate a biological attack on an island compound, and to develop tactics for such an attack
• Rapid Tan I, II, and III, a series of tests in 1967 and 1968 in England and Canada

The entire report is full of highly relevant information.

• Acclaimed China expert Gordon G. Chang wrote the Foreword

In 2016, China released its "13th Five-Year Plan," which featured a special emphasis for the close integration of its military with advanced civilian applied science and biotechnology.

• In pursuit of the PLA's goals, this national strategy incorporated all Chinese universities, pharmaceutical companies, and "civilian" biotechnology research centers.
• Currently, assessments of the state of China's advanced biological warfare program remain somewhat conjectural. 

https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/biowarfare-and-the-brave-new-world