Bureaucracy vs. Bioterrorism

The author shows how, even in a future where biological weapons are proliferated to terrorists through globalization and technological advancements, a bureaucracy can indeed develop an effective network of countermeasures to bioterrorism. The first aspect of the proposed network is professional policing among life science professionals through development of an oath of ethical actions. The second aspect in this network is a nanotechnology detection capability to permit unambiguous attribution of bioterrorist activity. The third aspect of this network is mitigation of the consequences of terrorists' desires though development of quick response teams capable of rapidly identifying pathogens, treating the infected and inoculating the masses through nanovector delivery techniques. Three pragmatic issues critical for effective Air Force contribution to a bureaucratic network of biothreat countermeasures are: 1) the Air Force must determine the proper level of active duty biologists and chemists required to support the 2010 National Security Strategy, 2) an institutionalized cross-functional communication mechanism across the intelligence, scientific, acquisition and medical functional communities, must be implemented, and 3) the Air Force must develop an industry-accepted certification program for life science officers.