The Shaping of US Biodefense Posture

Item Details

Title

The Shaping of US Biodefense Posture

Topics

This report is an historical analysis of US biodefense and bioweapons posture in order to understand the disparity between chemical weapons preparedness and biological weapons preparedness.

Date

2015

Conclusions

There are three theories about why biological preparedness falls behind chemical preparedness: realism, bureaucratic politics, and organizational frames. There are significant physical and operative differences between chemical and biological weapons and they should not be treated as the same weapons class.

Files

Source

Louis, D. The Shaping of US Biodefense Posture. USAF Center for Unconventional Weapons Studies. June 2015.

Citation

“The Shaping of US Biodefense Posture,” Collection of Biothreat Risk Assessments (COBRA), accessed January 15, 2025, https://cobrabiosecurity.org/items/show/511.