According to an alarming report by RAND Corporation, researchers are looking into the possibility of using man-made pathogens in warfare. This report is supported by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the National Defense Research Institute.
The advancement of biotechnology, which in the past was often only observed in science fiction, is now a reality. Analysts and experts are now considering the use of dangerous technologies in strategic military planning.
The report detailed several technological improvements, such as brain-computer interfaces, CRISPR gene editing and mRNA vaccines, potentially changing the strategic landscape. The report also suggested that the steadily increasing number of countries with advanced biotechnology capabilities points to a “dynamic future for biotechnology in warfare.”
In the past, the use of biological weapons by nation-states has been limited due to the risks of collateral damage, especially unintended harm to their own forces. Additionally, pathogens are naturally uncontrollable and may potentially harm both enemies and allies.
Because of this, nation-states have often prioritized more precise applications, such as targeted assassinations.
War on the Rocks has reported that while some terrorist groups like Al Qaeda have experimented with large-scale biological weapons such as anthrax, these efforts were often impeded by factors like Western intervention and high resource costs. Because of this, groups often shifted their focus back to conventional weaponry.
The rapidly growing biotechnology landscape, especially in the field of engineered pathogens, presents new strategic opportunities and challenges.
With the development of artificial intelligence and the increasing accessibility and cost-effectiveness of CRISPR technology, the concept of developing pathogens targeting specific genetic markers is becoming more attainable.
However, this advancement in biotechnology doesn’t just offer new warfare strategies, it also poses significant concealment advantages, making detection and prevention more challenging. (Related: ABSURD: National Climate Assessment report attempts to link climate change to PANDEMICS and PATHOGENS.)
Warfare may also involve artificial intelligence
Geoffrey Hinton helped develop the technology that served as the intellectual basis for what companies like Google, OpenAI, and others are now making a lot of money from. The rapidly evolving tech was part of a project Hinton worked on with two graduate students at the University of Toronto in 2012.
In 2023, Hinton announced that he would be leaving Google, where he spent the last decade working to boost the company’s efforts in the field of AI. He explained that the decision came about because being a free agent was the only way he could talk about the potential dangers of the technology.
Hinton is one of many leaders in the quickly advancing field who warn that the unforeseen consequences of AI could soon harm humans.
Hinton even hinted that if he hadn’t spoken up, “somebody else would have.” In an article that took a closer look at Hinton’s about-face from “AI groundbreaker to doomsayer,” it was revealed how he and others have encouraged a “necessary step back” from the current rate of AI development.
In March 2023, industry leaders like Elon Musk, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, and leaders in the AI field also published an open letter calling for a temporary pause on A.I. development.
The authors of the March 22, 2023 letter warned that “AI systems with human-competitive intelligence can pose profound risks to society and humanity, as shown by extensive research and acknowledged by top AI labs.”
Watch the video below to learn more about the growing biological warfare threat from China.