Scientific and technical aspects of a large-scale biological weapons program: Lessons learned from the former Soviet Union's anti-personnel BW program, 1975--1990

At the same time that the former Soviet Union (FSU) was publicly condemning any use of biological weapons (BW), it clandestinely created the most extensive and sophisticated BW program that the world has ever seen. The period of 1975 to 1990 represents the height of this program. By 1975, the Biopreparat complex, an expansive collection of non-military BW facilities, was in place and the age of modern biotechnology had begun. By 1990, political changes within the FSU curtailed the strong forward thrust of this program.; The goals of this study are to explore some of the reasons why the FSU pursued a BW program, to present scientific and technical information about the seven anti-personnel agents that were approved for inclusion into the Soviet arsenal (which included Bacillus anthracis, Burkholderia mallei, Francisella tularensis, Yersinia pestis, Marburg hemorrhagic fever virus, Variola major, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus), to understand the rationale behind the Soviet decisions to include these particular agents, to derive lessons learned from the history of the development of the Soviet BW program, to clarify the nature of the current threat of the misuse of biotechnology by nation states, and to provide recommendations for action.