Bioweapons - Coming Soon to a War Near You

The world's latest iteration of a deadly virus has led to much conjecture about its source, whether it is a human-made pathogen and whether it escaped from a BSL-4 highly secure laboratory in China.  While we are highly unlikely to ever know the entire story behind 2019 nCov, there is some interesting information about the use of bioweapons that can be gleaned from a document that formed an important foundation for the neoconservative mindset in Washington.

Back in 1997, a Washington-based neoconservative think tank was established as a non-profit by Robert Kagan and William Kristol.  The Project for a New American Century or PNAC was birthed as a direct result of the political rights views of the Clinton Administration.  Here is part of its founding statement from its Statement of Principles:

"American foreign and defense policy is adrift. Conservatives have criticized the incoherent policies of the Clinton Administration. They have also resisted isolationist impulses from within their own ranks. But conservatives have not confidently advanced a strategic vision of America's role in the world. They have not set forth guiding principles for American foreign policy. They have allowed differences over tactics to obscure potential agreement on strategic objectives. And they have not fought for a defense budget that would maintain American security and advance American interests in the new century.

We aim to change this. We aim to make the case and rally support for American global leadership.

As the 20th century draws to a close, the United States stands as the world's preeminent power. Having led the West to victory in the Cold War, America faces an opportunity and a challenge: Does the United States have the vision to build upon the achievements of past decades? Does the United States have the resolve to shape a new century favorable to American principles and interests?

We are in danger of squandering the opportunity and failing the challenge. We are living off the capital -- both the military investments and the foreign policy achievements -- built up by past administrations. Cuts in foreign affairs and defense spending, inattention to the tools of statecraft, and inconstant leadership are making it increasingly difficult to sustain American influence around the world. And the promise of short- term commercial benefits threatens to override strategic considerations. As a consequence, we are jeopardizing the nation's ability to meet present threats and to deal with potentially greater challenges that lie ahead.

We seem to have forgotten the essential elements of the Reagan Administration's success: a military that is strong and ready to meet both present and future challenges; a foreign policy that boldly and purposefully promotes American principles abroad; and national leadership that accepts the United States' global responsibilities. Of course, the United States must be prudent in how it exercises its power. But we cannot safely avoid the responsibilities of global leadership or the costs that are associated with its exercise. America has a vital role in maintaining peace and security in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. If we shirk our responsibilities, we invite challenges to our fundamental interests. The history of the 20th century should have taught us that it is important to shape circumstances before crises emerge, and to meet threats before they become dire. The history of this century should have taught us to embrace the cause of American leadership."

PNAC laid the foundation for the foreign policy of the Bush II Administration and reminded Americans that they have significant responsibilities that would require intensive defense spending.

Much of PNAC's blueprint for the new global Pax Americana was outlined in its flagship publication "Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategies, Forces and Resources for a New Century" which you can find on the Internet Archive website here.  Here are two screen captures from the report showing the cover page and the first two internal pages which list the report's authors and outlines the background behind PNAC:

Here is a screen capture of the final page of the report showing the project's participants:

In one section of the report entitled "Tranforming U.S. Conventional Forces", the authors look at how the United States could transform its military to meet the needs of the future.  Now, in light of the recent coronavirus outbreak, let's look at one key excerpt from the document which is found on page 60:

“Although it may take several decades for the process of transformation to unfold, in time, the art of warfare on air, land, and sea will be vastly different than it is today, and “combat” likely will take place in new dimensions: in space, “cyber-space,” and perhaps the world of microbes. Air warfare may no longer be fought by pilots manning tactical fighter aircraft sweeping the skies of opposing fighters, but a regime dominated by long-range, stealthy unmanned craft. On land, the clash of massive, combined-arms armored forces may be replaced by the dashes of much lighter, stealthier and information-intensive forces, augmented by fleets of robots, some small enough to fit in soldiers’ pockets. Control of the sea could be largely determined not by fleets of surface combatants and aircraft carriers, but from land- and space-based systems, forcing navies to maneuver and fight underwater. Space itself will become a theater of war, as nations gain access to space capabilities and come to rely on them; further, the distinction between military and commercial space systems - combatants and noncombatants will become blurred. Information systems will become an important focus of attack, particularly for U.S. enemies seeking to “short-circuit sophisticated American forces."

Here is the most fascinating suggestion by the authors of how the United States military can transform its use of force:

"And advanced forms of biological warfare that can “target” specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool." (my bold)

Here is a screen capture of the page for posterity:

In case you were wondering, the United States has signed and ratified the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention which prohibits the development, production and stockpiling of bacteriological (biological) and toxin weapons.  

While all of this may appear to be academic, let's look at a 2017 solicitation from the United States Air Force that appeared on the United States government's Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website:

Synovial tissue is the soft connective tissue that consists of the connective tissue that lines the cavities of joints, tendon sheaths and bursas (the space between tendons and bones).  RNA or ribonucleic acid is a single-stranded polymeric molecule made up of one or more nucleotides.  The structure of RNA is similar to that of DNA and plays a central role in the pathway from DNA to proteins.  It plays an important role in protein synthesis, normal cellular processes and diseases.  Importante connections have been discovered between RNA and human disease.  

Since the business opportunity has since been archived, no further details are available online.  Fortunately, in a posting from November 2017, I took screen captures of the documents linked to the solicitation.  Here is the first page of the Clauses and Provisions document which clearly outlines the exact type of human synovial tissue and RNA that the Air Force requires:

Here is a page showing additional details on which specific people groups are acceptable as donors:

In case you think that this research went unnoticed by Russia, here is their response as reported by the BBC:

Let's close with this final quote from the PNAC report which further outlines the need for American military transformation:

"This is merely a glimpse of the possibilities inherent in the process of transformation, not a precise prediction. Whatever the shape and direction of this revolution in military affairs, the implications for continued American military preeminence will be profound."

I believe that is sufficient for this posting.  Given the Project for A New American Century's assertion that advancements in biological warfare could be a politically useful tool when targeting a specific genetic group and the request by the United States Air Force for tissue and RNA from Russian donors, one has to question the entire 2019 nCov narrative.  Apparently, Washington is willing to maintain what little remains of its global dominance at any cost, no matter how it impacts the world.