Preventing Proliferation of Biological Weapons: U.S. Assistance to the Former Soviet States

Abstract

The former Soviet and subsequently Russian biological weapons program possessed capabilities far in excess of any such program known to have existed elsewhere. These capabilities included genetically-altered, antibiotic-resistant pathogens and sophisticated delivery systems. Approximately fifty biological research and production centers (BRPCs) throughout the former Soviet Union devoted either all or part of their work to the program. In the post-Soviet era, former Soviet states drastically reduced and in some cases eliminated funding for these BRPCs. Thousands of BW scientists became unemployed or underemployed, and the facilities, weapons technology, and thousands of strains of pathogens at these BRPCs became vulnerable to theft, sale or misuse.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 10, 2002
Accession Number
ADA454722

Entities

People

  • Amy F. Woolf
  • Michelle S. Cook

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Animal Diseases
  • Biological Weapons
  • Commerce
  • Congress
  • Department Of State
  • Environmental Protection
  • Intellectual Property
  • Interagency Coordination
  • International Relations
  • Law
  • Medical Personnel
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Public Health
  • United States
  • Ussr
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Readers

  • Microbial Pathology
  • Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Care for Military Service Members and Veterans with Limb Loss or Disability.
  • Strategic Security Studies

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology