Redefining Neuroweapons: Emerging Capabilities in Neuroscience and Neurotechnology
By Joseph DeFranco, Diane DiEuliis, and James Giordano
"Ongoing developments in neuroscience and technology (neuroS/T), which trend toward 5 to 10 year trajectories of progression, make the brain sciences valid, viable, and of growing value for operational use in warfare, intelligence, and national security (WINS) applications. Illustrative of this progress are a series of U.S. Government assessments of such capabilities. A 2008 report by the ad hoc Committee on Military and Intelligence Methodology for Emergent Neurophysiological and Cognitive/Neural Science Research in the Next Two Decades claimed that neuroS/T was not sufficiently mature to enable operational employment in WINS. However, a subsequent report by this same committee in 2014 noted that advancements enabled several domains of neuroS/T to be capable and operationalizable for WINS. This was substantiated by a number of nations’ increased interest in, and consideration and use of, neurocognitive methods and tools for military and intelligence purposes. Indeed, neuroS/T can be employed as both “soft” and “hard” weapons in competition with adversaries".
The article cites the fact that the Biological Weapons Convention does not account for use of (1) neurocognitive science to optimize and enhance human performance in warfare, intelligence, and national security (WINS) operations, (2) neurotechnological devices that can be employed as weapons, (3) weaponized use of neurodata.
It is noted that In 2017, authors D. Gerstein and J. Giordano expressed their opinion on the question of “Rethinking the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention?” in the article by the same title.
Dr. Giordano, Executive Director of the Institute for Biodefense Research, is an important advocate for the inclusion of neuroweapons in the Biological Weapon Convention.
"'You will encounter some form of neurocognitive science that has been weaponized in your military career'. Watch Georgetown University neuroscientist Dr. James Giordano explain why he says the brain is the battlefield of the future."
Video | Facebook post - new link
Dr. Giordano speaks to cadets and faculty of the United States Military Academy (West Point) on 2018-10-29
Featured excerpt | In reference to a committee by the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council: "By 2014 the exact same committee reconvened and recognized, at that time, that the brain sciences indeed were ready and in operational prime time for warfare, intelligence and national security agenda. In other words it is valid, valuable and already in operational play."
Other selected excerpts follow.
https://youtu.be/N02SK9yd60s?t=112 "What we're here to talk about today is the fact that the brain is and will be the 21st century battlescape in many ways. (...) "You will encounter some form of neuro cognitive science that has been weaponized not only in your military career but in your personal and professional lives."
https://youtu.be/N02SK9yd60s?t=424"A mere 10 years ago, in 2008 the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council convened a group to create a report dedicated to if and why and how brain sciences might be viable, valid and of value in national security intelligence and defense operations. And in 2008 they did a 5-year retrospective and came to the conclusion that although these things may be valid, their relative viability, value at that particular time rendered them not ready for primetime play.
Our group working with others internationally inclusive of the Nuffield Council in the UK, proceeded forward from 2008 and did a slightly deeper dive looking at international capabilities, limitations and delimitations in the brain sciences and came to a very very different set of conclusions.
Not only were the brain sciences increasingly being considered, interested and used for possibilities of national security intelligence and defense but they would continue to be so, as more and more countries internationally developed the capabilities and the specialized agendas to be able to look into the brain and affect the brain. So much so, that by 2014 the exact same committee reconvened and recognized at that time that the brain sciences indeed were ready and in operational prime time for warfare intelligence and national security agenda. In other words it is valid, valuable and already in operational play. The brain is the current and future battle space or at least one that can be leveraged in those ways to be able to create tremendous effect with fairly little investment of engagement. In other words what it allows us to do is assess the brain, access the brain and affect the brain."