COUNTER TERRORISM CBRNE Jakarta, Indonesia 10-13 December 2013 Banning Biological Weapons - Challenges and Efforts in South East Asia - Dr Teck-Mean Chua IFBA A-PBA
Biosecurity Challenges Preparing for the Future epidemic A question of time? Natural event Accidental release Deliberate event Bioterrorism
24 Hour Global Flight Pattern
Global Travel vs. Diseases
BIOSECURITY INSTITUTE 14 Synthesizing Viable Organisms 14 2002 Polio virus 1 7,741 bp 2005 1918 flu virus 2 13,500 bp 2006 Marburg virus 3 19,000 bp Potentially, we can apply this technology to many other emerging viruses 2008 SARS virus 4 30,000 bp 2008 Mycoplasma 5 582,970 bp? Smallpox virus 185,000 bp 1: Science 2002, 9;297(5583):1016-8, 2: Science 2005 7;310(5745):77-80 3: J Virol 2006 80(2):1038-43, 4: PNAS 25 NOV 2008, 5: Science 2008 29;319(5867):1196-7
The Process Bacteria Virus Toxins Weaponization (modification) Biological Warfare Agent Delivery (missile, grenade, aerosol generation, package/letter) Acquire operational capability Biological Weapon
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Risk Spectrum Non-residual Risk is addressed pre-event by prevention, mitigation, resilience & preparedness (& avoidance) Naturally Occurring Pandemic Reemerging Infectious Diseases Unintended Consequences of Research Laboratory Accidents Lack of Awareness Policy Choices Negligence (Failure to Follow SoPs) Crime & Counterfeit Drugs Sabotage Attack Leading to Release Biowarfare Terrorism State BW Residual Risk is addressed post-event by Emergency Response (detection, diagnosis, containment, treatment, recovery, investigation) Natural Accidental Intentional
Comprehensive Approach to Countering Biological Threats PRE-EVENT POST-EVENT Non-Proliferation Counter-Proliferation Consequence Management PREVENTION PROTECTION SURVEILLANCE & DETECTION RESPONSE & RECOVERY UN Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) Biological Weapons Convention WHO International Health Regulations (2005)
UN Charter, Chapter VII, Articles 39-51 Resolution 1540 (2004): A Response to Threats to International Peace and Security Article 39 The Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be taken to maintain or restore international peace and security. Article 41 The Security Council may decide what measures not involving the use of armed force are to be employed to give effect to its decisions, and it may call upon the Members of the United Nations to apply such measures Adopted by the Security Council on 28 April 2004 under Chapter VII of the UN Charter which affirms that the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery constitutes a threat to international peace and security Obliges States, inter alia, to refrain from supporting by any means non-state actors from developing, acquiring, manufacturing, possessing, transporting, transferring or using nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their delivery systems
Nuclear Weapons Chemical Weapons Biological Weapons Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Chemical Weapons Convention Biological Weapons Convention International Atomic Energy Agency Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons?
You can analyse the past but you have to design the future Change in Terrorist Threat Attacks in US 2001 Expertise in Life Sciences Increase in Risk from Dual Use Open Sources (Internet) "The most important under-addressed threat relating to terrorism, and one which acutely requires new thinking on the part of the international community, is that of terrorists using a biological weapon." Kofi Annan, Secretary-General, United Nations, 27 April 2006 Recommendations for a Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy
BIOSECURITY INSTITUTE 26 Biological Security 26 We must not fixate on fighting the last war. The central concern is that as biological science and related technologies accelerate.bioweapons become ever more globally available Barack Obama, President United States of America CONFRONTING 21ST CENTURY THREATS www.barackobama.com
Terrorist Organizations Foreign Terrorist Organizations Released by the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State, May 2003. Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) Abu Sayyaf Group Aqsa Martyrs Brigade Armed Islamic Group (GIA) Asbat al-ansar Aum Shinrikyo Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) Communist Party of the Philippines/New People's Army (CPP/NPA) Gama a al-islamiyya (Islamic Group) HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement) Harakat ul-mujahidin (HUM) Hizballah (Party of God) Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) (Army of Mohammed) Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) Jamaah Asharut Tauhid (JAT) al-jihad (Egyptian Islamic Jihad) Kahane Chai (Kach) Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) a.k.a. Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress (KADEK) Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) a.k.a. Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress (KADEK) Lashkar i Jhangvi Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) National Liberation Army (ELN) Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) PFLP-General Command (PFLP-GC) al-qa ida Real IRA Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) Revolutionary Nuclei (formerly ELA) Revolutionary Organization 17 November Revolutionary People s Liberation Army/Front (DHKP/C) Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC) Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso, SL) United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) Ayman Al-Zawahiri January 12, 2005
Anti-terrorism Evolving Challenges 3 rd Generation recruits Born 1980-1990s ( Age twenties - thirties) Better educated ( many doctors, engineers, scientists, etc) Young professionals frustrated with corrupt governments and unjust systems are easy targets as potential recruits Competent with tools use in social media. Eg. Internet, facebook, etc Can get accessible to Infectious biological agents
Global Biorisk Strength of a Chain is measured by its Weakest Link - Developing countries can pose as the weakest link in that chain of control in global biosecurity against the misuse of biological agents to inflict harm.
National Biosafety & Biosecurity Program Ministry of Health National Biosafety & Biosecurity Program Ministry of Education
BIOSAFETY & BIOSECURITY What are the Lessons Learnt? Is Our Current Thinking a Cause of the Current Problems? We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them - Albert Einstein Local Problems should consider local solutions in addressing the challenges for practicality and sustainability
Anti-bioterrorism Tabletop Exercise Lessons Learnt A smallpox outbreak would be mankind s worst nightmare Everyone is a stakeholder Everyone takes Ownership Economic Impact : Stock market collapses Shortage of food and supplies Whole market chain collapses Note: Graph is not based on actual data
Biosecurity Challenges Preparing for the Future epidemic A question of time? Natural event Accidental release Deliberate event Bioterrorism
Comprehensive Approach to Countering Biological Threats PRE-EVENT POST-EVENT Non-Proliferation Counter-Proliferation Consequence Management PREVENTION PROTECTION SURVEILLANCE & DETECTION RESPONSE & RECOVERY Strength of a Chain is measured by its Weakest Link RESPONSE & RECOVERY - The Weakest Link???
The earth is but one country and mankind its citizen - Baha I Writings - ONE WORLD ONE HEALTH
Thank You tmchua@tll.org.sg International Federation of Biosafety Associations (IFBA) Asia-Pacific Biosafety Association (A-PBA)