BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE CONCEPT

File: 120396_sep96_decls72_0011.txt
Page: 0011
Total Pages: 30

Subject: BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE CONCEPT                                      

Unit: OTSG        

Parent Organization: HSC         

Box ID: BX003203

Folder Title: BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE CONCEPT                                                                      

Document Number:          1

Folder SEQ  #:          1





                                                      UNCLASSIFIED



                 (2) The Armv Medical Research and Develooment Command has
         the development and testina resdonsibilitv for medical defense
         including aiaanostic equipment and methodologies, prodhvlaxes,
         drugs, vaccines, and treatment modalities.

         4.            T

            a.        The BTW threat encompasses not onlv the classical
         agents but also the bioengineered ones, and the proliferation of
         -biotechnology which has the potential to greatly enhance the
         production of biological material and weapons systems for
         limited, specific or general utilization by foreign nations
         including the third world powers. world politics have chanaed the
         principal areas of threat to our deployed forces. It is apparent
         that our forces now face a greater likelihood of exposure to
         agents of biological origin. At enclosure B is a detailed
         world-wide biological warfare threat to US/allied forces.
            b. (U) The US does not possess a real time BTW aaent detector
         nor rapid agent identification capability.
            c. @ @ US forces are currently immunoloaicallv vulnerable to
         the full spectrum of enhanced BTW agents even though we have the
         capability to immunize against manv infectious disease threats.

         5. (U) DETERRENCE OF BIOLOGICAL WARFARE
            a. (U) Deterrence of war remains the number one objective of
         the US national Dolicy and strategy. To deter an adver;ary from
         takina advantage of a situation the US must pose for them the
         Drosnect of cost and risk outweighing any aain. Since the US has
         no BW stockpile, the Drimary deterrent against BTW rests on the
         US declatorv uolicy that use of BTW would lead to consideration
         of retaliation with the full ranae of resources to include
         nuclear or chemical weanons.
gical warfare defense capability is an
         imnor@ant component of deterrence because it will show any
         adversary, to the maximum possible extent, the risk of failure
         associated with the use of ETW agents.

            c. (U) The US biological defense capability must be highl_v
         credible to influence both strategic and tactical plans by any
         potential adversary.
            d. (U) The US biological defense capability must be of such a
         magnitude to make the objective use by any adversary appear
         ineffective and./or excessively costly.
            e. (U) A highlv visible and demonstrably effective defensive
         RDA program which emphasizes preventative measures and the
         he aggressive fielding of protective and detection equipment
         will also contribute to deterrence.


                                                -Q'O' UNCLASSIFIED

Document 30 f:/Week-36/BX003203/BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE CONCEPT/biological defense concept:11259610130612
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-36
Box ID = BX003203
Unit = OTSG
Parent Organization = HSC
Folder Title = BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE CONCEPT
Folder Seq # = 1
Subject = BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE CONCEPT
Document Seq # = 1
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 25-NOV-1996