⚡ U.S. continue biological weapons programme
💬 Chief of Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov:
‘The documents available attest to an ongoing programme in the United States focused on the production of biological weapons.
At the same time, the U.S. administration seeks to expand the programme’s scale. On 23 March 2023, a new U.S. Biomanufacturing Strategy developed by the U.S. Department of Defense was approved. The document sets long-term goals for the development of biotechnology and the search for its military applications.
The stated goal is to ‘…secure technological sovereignty in bioproduction and outpace strategic rivals…’.
In October 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense announced the launch of a programme to train professionals to implement the Biomanufacturing Strategy (the BioFab Program). Former military personnel with a background in biomedical warfare will be prioritised as candidates.
The project is supervised by the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, and the technological base for the training will be provided by nine major manufacturing companies that specialise in genomic research, bioinformatics, cell and tissue culture work.
The training programme consists of a two-month pre-course and an industrial internship that ‘…immerses participants in real-world biofabrication experiences…’. As noted in the official press release dated 11 October 2023 ‘…U.S. Department of Defense activities will focus on revitalising U.S.’s domestic manufacturing capabilities…that enhance America’s strategic competitiveness while enabling the military of tomorrow…’.
These statements, when coupled with the use of a cutting-edge technological base and the involvement of specialists with dual-use research experience, may indicate the U.S. attempts to recreate technologies for large-scale production of biological formulations as part of an offensive biological programme.’
WtR