Nanotechnology for Chemical and Biological Defense: Policy, Programmatics, and Threat Anticipation

Abstract

The pursuit of the minutely small “nanotechnology” is thriving in academia, in the private sector, and in global state science and technology programs. Through the science fiction of Star Trek and other quasi-fictional works, the notion of nanotechnology has entered the collective public psyche. To date, three broad topics have dominated discussion regarding nanotechnology risk: health and environmental consequences, privacy and legal implications, and uncontrolled self-replication and artificial intelligence. Security implications, both for traditional nonproliferation regimes and for potential misuse by non-state actors, have not received commensurate attention. At the same time, policy makers and the scientific community, domestically and internationally, are attempting to develop new means to address risks associated with biotechnology. As 21st century science and technology intrinsically traverses traditional borders “academic, public-private, and international” previous models are inadequate. Through examination of civilian and defensive applications (nanotechnologically-enabled countermeasures) and hypothetical offensive uses, the goal is to develop an analytic model to probe security questions surrounding this emerging technology. Recognizing and developing a robust analytical framework to assess implications of this emerging technology is an unexplored, cutting-edge research area for international security. Alternatively, the future may grapple with a nanotechnology A.Q. Khan.