11/08/2022
On Oct. 18 the White House issued National Security Memorandum-15 (NSM-15), The National Biodefense Strategy and Implementation Plan for Countering Biological Threats, Enhancing Pandemic Preparedness, and Achieving Global Health Security.
This memorandum highlights the current concerns related to novel bioweapons and encourages the global community to, "Strengthen the international norms against biological weapons and the mechanisms and tools needed to hold state and non-state actors accountable for BW development, proliferation, use, or the deliberate misuse of biological research, technologies, and knowledge."
"The ongoing revolution in the life sciences and biotechnology will continue at an ever-increasing rate, offering solutions to many of the challenges of ensuring the health, prosperity, and security of a growing global population. No longer confined to sophisticated research laboratories, these technologies are being developed and utilized all over the world, and the necessary expertise, materials, and equipment are widely available. Advances in science and technology bring revolutionary cures and progress, but they also have the potential for intentional misuse."
"The use of biological weapons or their proliferation by state or nonstate actors presents a significant challenge to our national security, our people, our agriculture, and the environment. Multiple nations have pursued clandestine biological weapons programs, and a number of terrorist groups have sought to acquire biological weapons. In addition, advances in biotechnology, including synthetic biology, are making it easier to develop and use biological agents as weapons."