Conventional Operations and Means Incorporating Bioagents as Partial Effectors

The idea of integrating bioagents in conventional or hybrid operations is ancient, but thanks to technology new twists seem likely. From unattended, robotic sprayers all the way to purpose-manufactured picodrones delivering selected cellular pathogens to specific bodyparts of targeted individuals, the technobiowarfare seems a nightmare of the future. The previous iteration of biowarfare and bioterrorism, belonging to HW 1.0, still produces concepts, means and methods, both offensive and defensive. These include the integration of bioagents, engineered or not, either to conventional delivery methods that thus become prospective Weapons of Mass Destruction; or to dual-use or improvised delivery means. The above pose a grave challenge for health support/public and environmental health agencies and beg for the differentiation with the use of standard, occasionally commercial-grade technological means of two operational complexes: surveillance-detection-classification-diagnosis and decontamination-sanitization-antibiosis. Repurposing offensive solutions may assist the response: for example the drone-based delivery systems working under preprogrammed, remotely operated or AI-enabled control, may be employed for disinfection of large areas almost automatically with minimal human intervention.