21st Century Biological Threats

The threat of biological weapons has to date been limited by a lack of perceived military utility and a strong international norm against this form of weaponry. Advances in science and technology, and deterioration in the norm against unconventional weapons, may, however, be changing that calculus. Novel biological weapons may emerge that are seen to offer distinct operational advantages to military and other state or state-sponsored security forces relative to conventional alternatives. This talk discusses potential novel bioweapons and what we can do to mitigate against them.

Filippa Lentzos is a Senior Research Fellow at King’s College London. Her work is focused on the security and governance of emerging technologies in the life sciences, and she is jointly appointed in both the Department of War Studies and in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine. Her book Biological Threats in the 21^st Century was published by Imperial College Press in 2016.
 
Moderation: Professor Dr. Dr. Sabine Salloch