BATTLEFIELD OF THE FUTURE
Battlefield of the Future - Air University Press
Battlefield of the Future - Air University Press
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<strong>BATTLEFIELD</strong> <strong>OF</strong> <strong>THE</strong> <strong>FUTURE</strong><br />
Congress has not missed the importance of intelligence in<br />
focusing R&D . Congressional law mandates that BW defensive<br />
medical efforts be funded and prioritized based on a threat list<br />
developed by the US intelligence community. 17<br />
Two questions emerge from this process . The first is whether<br />
adequate priority and resources have been focused on<br />
collecting and analyzing BW-related intelligence and how<br />
successful these efforts have been . The second is whether the<br />
process of creating a threat list based entirely on intelligence<br />
assessments is adequate . Assessing an adversary's current<br />
BW efforts may ignore developments in biotechnology which<br />
may offer breakthrough capabilities and novel agents .<br />
Weaponizing BW<br />
The final distinction between chemical and biological<br />
weapons involves the methods of dissemination . Weaponizing<br />
of CW and BW implies three essential elements : agent,<br />
munition, and delivery system . Both can be "weaponized" into<br />
conventional munitions such as artillery rounds, cluster<br />
bombs, and missile warheads .<br />
Unlike CW, BW weaponizing implies the efficient aerosolization<br />
of viable agents in a one-to-five micron particle size . Dissemination<br />
of BW agents by conventional munitions pose certain<br />
technological difficulties, because they are sensitive to environmental<br />
stresses . Excessive heat, ultraviolet light, humidity and<br />
oxidation decrease their potency and persistence . 18 The United<br />
States overcame these difficulties in the late 1960s to produce,<br />
weaponize, and stockpile several BW agents . 19<br />
Weaponizing BW includes some unconventional delivery<br />
systems which may put the United States at risk . 2° In contrast<br />
to chemical agents, biological agents could also be easily<br />
adapted for use with commercially available agricultural<br />
sprayers . This dissemination method lends itself to both covert<br />
and clandestine applications and possible terrorist use .21<br />
Unmanned remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs) with spray tanks<br />
represent another low-observable means ofBW delivery .22<br />
A common characteristic shared by both chemical and<br />
biological agents is their dissemination on ancient meteorological<br />
234