Media

December 12, 2006

News Release

Contact:
Stephanie L. Tennyson
703-525-0770
stennyson[at]potomacinstitute[dot]org
www.PotomacInstitute.org

Arlington , VA -- On Monday, December 11, 2006, The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and The Stanley Foundation ( Muscatine, Iowa) sponsored a symposium on Future Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). Attended by more than fifty experts from the Washington, D.C. area and beyond, the symposium concentrated on three perspectives—technical, strategic, and ethical aspects of future classes of WMD. Although some scholarly lines of investigation have been initiated (e.g., nanotechnology and WMD), and certain audiences have already focused their attention on some of these issues for either potential use, ethical concerns, or strategic impact, little cross-cutting dialogue has occurred to assimilate the divergent areas for comprehensive consideration. The symposium brought together experts from each field to present and lead discussions with policymakers, academicians, and WMD specialists in order to produce common understandings and greater agreement on cutting-edge technologies and their potential impact on national and international security.

The morning began with a welcome from the Potomac Institute’s CEO and Chairman, Mr. Michael Swetnam and an introduction to the project by the Institute’s President, Dr. Dennis McBride and Dr. Michael Kraig, Director of Policy Analysis and Dialogue at The Stanley Foundation.

The first session addressed the technical issues of potential new classes of WMD. This panel was comprised of Mr. Swetnam; Sharon Weinberger, Editor-in-Chief, Defense Technology International, and Dr. Gerold Yonas, Director, Advanced Concepts Group, Sandia National Laboratories. The panel noted that “Today we will discuss far beyond the conventional biological, chemical and nuclear weapons. We are discovering and applying new technology quicker than ever before. Many of the new technologies have tremendous potential to become WMD as well as the potential to increase our lifespan.”

The second panel examined strategic concepts and implications associated with WMDs that will arise as a result of technical advances that are anticipated in the future. One emergent theme from the panel discussion was the importance and interdependence of defense, deterrence, and international and inter-ethnic coalitions. The experts on this panel included Dr. Nancy Gallagher, Associate Director for Research, Center for International and Security Studies, University of Maryland; Dr. Kraig; and Dr. Gordon Oehler, Former Director, CIA’s Nonproliferation Center and current Potomac Institute Fellow.

The third panel focused on the ethical implications and considerations that play in the pursuit or access denial of future WMDs, particularly those that will be brought about as a result of technical advances. The various views on these ethical issues were presented by Fr. John Langan, S.J., Ph.D., the Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Professor of Catholic Social Thought, Georgetown University; Dr. McBride; and Dr. Albert C. Pierce, Ph.D., University Professor of Ethics and National Security, National Defense University. The Ethics Panel covered a range of topics from the challenge of peace to the ethical importance of technically defining weapon systems of mass destruction and the importance of joining strategy and ethics.

The public symposium climaxed with a lunch address by Potomac Fellow, Dr. David Kay, Former Special Advisor for Strategy, Iraq Survey Group and Former U.N. Chief Weapons Inspector. Dr. Kay expanded upon a theme from the morning—the importance in nuanced consideration of weapons of mass disruption, rather than destruction. The day concluded with an executive session comprised of the panelists and other invited expert guests to distill the salient points of the morning and to contemplate a way forward.

n the coming months, The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and The Stanley Foundation will be releasing a summary document of this symposium. In addition, the organizations will continue to work together in hosting other related events and in producing a major volume on the topic of Future Weapons of Mass Destruction.

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The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is an independent, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit public policy research institute. The Institute identifies and aggressively shepherds discussion on key science and technology issues facing our society. From these discussions and forums, we develop meaningful science and technology policy options and ensure their implementation at the intersection of business and government.

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