Critics Say U.S. Research Could Spark Biological Arms Race

Arms control advocates argued yesterday that plans for a Homeland Security Department research laboratory at Fort Detrick would violate the Biological Weapons Convention and could spark a biological arms race, the Baltimore Sun reported (see GSN, June 25, 2003).

Work at the $200 million National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center is planned to include studies of genetically engineered germs and dispersal methods, the Sun reported.

“If any other country presented this list of tasks, the U.S. intelligence community would say it’s an offensive program,” said Milton Leitenberg, a University of Maryland scholar.

Homeland Security spokeswoman Michelle Petrovich said the center would study bioforensics — tracking a bioweapon to its source — and would build a comprehensive database of potential biological weapons threats (see GSN, April 28).

“The mission is actually to identify threats so we can defend against them and protect the American people,” Petrovich said. She said all the research proposed for the center would be strictly defensive in purpose (Scott Shane, Baltimore Sun, April 29).

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