Surface Ripples

The New Biological Warfare?

One thing that the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 to 2022 proved to us was that the ultimate weapon of mass biological destruction is Homo Sapiens, the human being.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) spread from “Ground Zero” (suspected to be in Wuhan) to other cities in China and around the world via people who were returning home to their families for the Lunar New Year celebrations, as well as those who travelled overseas to join or rejoin their families.

In his novel Executive Orders, author Tom, Clancy theorises that “one could infect an aircraft, say an international flight into Kennedy.  The travellers would leave one aircraft and fan out into others… Maybe they’d be able to spread the disease through coughs and sneezes immediately, or maybe not.  Many of them would fly again in a few days, wondering if they had the flu, and then they’d be able to communicate the virus, and so infect more.”

Our system of rapid, low-cost and plentiful international transport means that a government with malicious intent no longer needs to fire or drop a biological weapon from an aircraft or battleship stationed offshore.  Simply infecting a few “human carriers” and letting them loose on international flights is sufficient.

One of the first things that happened was that, to control the spread of COVID-19, governments closed air- and seaports. No one was allowed in (except for returning citizens, and Australia refused even them!).

However, by the time and seaports were closed, it was in many cases too late. The coronavirus had to run its course whilst pharmaceutical companies frantically rushed to develop vaccines.

In the end, the combination of vaccination, isolation and testing paid dividends.  The coronavirus epidermic was brought under control and, by 2022, most countries were able to resume “normal” life.

Be that as it may, we now know that one of the biggest risks is the global transportation system.  If nothing else, governments have learnt that in the event of a pandemic being declared, they must take immediate and precipitate action to close down their countries.

Could we face another biological Armageddon? There are almost certainly laboratories, even now working on plagues and diseases designed to incapacitate (but not kill) a population. Whilst this may sound like a conspiracy theory, it perhaps also provides some comfort in that one no longer will need to resort to the threat of all-out nuclear war.  Biological warfare, and in a less deadly form, will be sufficient to incapacitate a country, its institutions and population for sufficiently long to allow it to be taken over.

I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management.  I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.  

Labels: Crisis Management, Leadership, Risk, Strategy

posted by William Martin @ 14:32