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…

14 BIOSECURITY INSTITUTE 14

2002 Polio virus1 7,741 bp

2005 1918 flu virus2 13,500 bp

2006 Marburg virus3 19,000 bp

? Smallpox virus 185,000 bp

2008 Mycoplasma5 582,970 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

Synthesizing Viable Organisms

2008 SARS virus4

30,000 bp

“Potentially, we can apply this technology to many other emerging viruses”

Bacteria Virus Toxins

Weaponization (modification)

Biological Warfare Agent

Delivery (missile, grenade,

aerosol generation, package/letter)

The Process

Biological Weapon

Acquire

operational

capability

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Risk Spectrum Non-residual Risk is addressed pre-event by prevention,

mitigation, resilience & preparedness (& avoidance)

Residual Risk is addressed post-event by Emergency Response (detection, diagnosis, containment, treatment, recovery, investigation)

Natural Accidental Intentional

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

Comprehensive Approach to Countering

Biological Threats

UN Security Council resolution 1540 (2004)

Biological Weapons Convention

WHO International Health Regulations (2005)

PREVENTION PROTECTION SURVEILLANCE

& DETECTION

RESPONSE

& RECOVERY

PRE-EVENT POST-EVENT

Non-Proliferation Counter-Proliferation Consequence Management

Resolution 1540 (2004): A Response to Threats

to International Peace and Security

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 del ivery systems

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…

UN

Ch

arte

r,

Ch

apte

r V

II,

Arti

cle

s 3

9-5

1

Nuclear Weapons

Nuclear Non-proliferation

Treaty

International Atomic Energy

Agency

Chemical Weapons

Chemical Weapons

Convention

Organization for the Prohibition of

Chemical Weapons

Biological Weapons

Biological Weapons

Convention

?

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

26 BIOSECURITY INSTITUTE 26

Biological Security

“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

January 12, 2005

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

Terrorist Organizations

Anti-terrorism – Evolving Challenges

3rd 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.

Ministry of

Health

National

Biosafety &

Biosecurity

Program

Ministry of

Education

National Biosafety & Biosecurity Program

What are the Lessons Learnt ? Is Our Current Thinking a Cause

of the Current Problems ?

BIOSAFETY & BIOSECURITY

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

Note: Graph is not based on actual data

Anti-bioterrorism

Tabletop Exercise – Lessons Learnt

A smallpox outbreak would be mankind’s worst nightmare

Economic Impact :

Stock market collapses

Shortage of food and supplies

Whole market chain collapses

Everyone is a stakeholder

Everyone takes Ownership

Biosecurity Challenges Preparing for the Future epidemic

• A question of time?

– Natural event

– Accidental release

– Deliberate event

• Bioterrorism

Comprehensive Approach to Countering

Biological Threats

PREVENTION PROTECTION SURVEILLANCE

& DETECTION

RESPONSE

& RECOVERY

PRE-EVENT POST-EVENT

Non-Proliferation Counter-Proliferation Consequence Management

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

tmchua@tll.org.sg

International Federation of Biosafety Associations (IFBA)

Asia-Pacific Biosafety Association (A-PBA)

Thank You