U.S. Army Releases New Version of Biological Defense Strategy

Reference News Network, September 16 report According to the U.S. Defense News website on September 8, an official from the U.S. Army Nuclear Weapons and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Agency (USANCA) stated that the Army released a new version of its biological defense strategy on the 8th, aiming to create a force capable of fully exercising combat capabilities in a "biological countermeasure environment." Colonel Dave Kingery, head of biological defense integration at Army Headquarters and USANCA, introduced to the media that these countermeasure environments include three types of threats: first, naturally occurring epidemics such as COVID-19 and malaria; second, accidental risks from facility pathogen leaks; and third, biological threats deliberately created by adversaries.

Kingery said, "We must ensure that global pandemics or other public health events do not hinder troop deployment, allowing us to reach the battlefield, win wars, and persevere in various conflicts."

According to this new strategic document signed by former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, the Army will complete five areas of work by 2035.

First is "knowledge building." Recruiting, training, and retaining talent, expanding the pool of experts in research, medical, and biological defense fields, while incorporating biological defense courses into the military training and education system.

Second, achieving situational awareness capabilities. Integrating biological sensors and analytical tools into existing operational platforms to gain "decision advantage," while monitoring signs of enemy use of biological weapons.

Third, information and communication management. Unifying the biological information sharing system among joint forces, other government agencies, and allies. Additionally, the Army hopes to leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to monitor the information environment and combat misinformation and disinformation.

Fourth, building biological defense readiness capabilities. Equipping troops with purification and protective gear to reduce biological threats. At the same time, biological threats will no longer be viewed merely as a medical issue but as constraints that can affect operational actions.

Fifth, modernizing biological defense. Accelerating procurement processes based on artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and additive manufacturing technologies. Identifying shortcomings in existing regulations and updating operational directives.

According to the strategic plan, the Army will prioritize advancing the third and fifth areas of work by 2028 to lay the foundation for the remaining tasks.

Alison Tamasi, head of the USANCA Resilience and Effects Analysis Division, stated that the new strategic plan is not driven by a single incident but is formulated by learning lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, analyzing the overall threat landscape, and incorporating new achievements in precision medicine (which could also be used by adversaries against the U.S.).

Colonel Dennis Rufolo from the Army Medical Command said that with new devices like mobile gene sequencing, frontline soldiers can complete sample testing within 24 hours when facing "suspicious" wildlife carcasses and unknown harmful substances. In contrast, a few years ago, samples had to be sent back to the U.S. for testing, which took several weeks. The improved testing speed helps reduce personnel exposure risks.

The new strategy is an update to the Army's 2021 biological defense strategy.

Rufolo noted that the widespread use of artificial intelligence is a significant difference between the old and new versions. The Army has already begun using artificial intelligence to establish disease "baselines," which are standards for assessing the prevalence and transmission capabilities of diseases based on multiple data sets. (Translated by Wang Dongdong)