Military Biology and Biological Warfare, Vol. I

Military Biology and Biological Warfare, Vol. I

This is a detailed overview of the state of biological warfare capabilities in the United States including agents, defensive measures, and tactics.

1947

While there are many important criteria in determining the value of an agent in biological warfare, this report deems a few to be more important. Commonly listed as important criteria are ease of production, inability to be detected, and psychological impact. Epidemicity can be both a positive and negative factor, because while it does make the agent self-propagating it also lends itself to retroactivity and is dangerous for the user. For the destruction of crops, chemical compounds are preferred to biological ones as they are quicker and more destructive. Overall, there is an agent that exists for virtually every tactical goal, whether it is sabotage, fear, food supply destruction, or overwhelming a public health system. Defense against agents remains extraordinarily difficult.