The national, regional, and global spectrum of biological challenges is limitless. Throughout recorded history, these challenges have come essentially from two inevitable sources of enduring actual and potential dangers to individuals, communities, societies, and civilizations.
The first critical threat is caused by Mother Nature’s disasters, such as earthquakes, cyclones, and infectious diseases. The second concern is man-made menaces, including violent radicalism, terrorism, and war. The key question is whether the United States and the international community are prepared to identify, prevent, and counter current and future biological threats. In this era of expanding multi security challenges at home and abroad, it is critical to understand the role of technology as a major driver in world evolutionary events.
In this context, the current report focuses specifically on “COVID-19 and the Role of Technology” (December 2021) and its experienced lessons anticipating future health and security related challenges nationally and globally. This timely Forum reviews selected successful and new technologies, such as bio-detection, respiratory epidemiology, vaccinations, artificial intelligence, cyber defense, as well as other relevant topics. Contributions and insights were provided by an invited interdisciplinary panel of academics and practitioners who participated at a special virtual Forum held on June 29, 2021 and administered at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.
The program of this event began with opening remarks by Dr. Jennifer Buss (CEO, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies). The virtual Forum was moderated by Professor Yonah Alexander (Director of the International Center for Terrorism Studies and Senior Fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies). Presentations and discussion were offered by Distinguished Professor Rita Colwell (University of Maryland, College Park; Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health); Dr. Daniel Gerstein (Former Acting Undersecretary and Deputy Undersecretary for the Department of Homeland Security); Dr. Donald Milton (Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Medicine, School of Medicine); Dr. Costis Toregas (Director, Cyber Security and Privacy Research Institute at The George Washington University); Dr. Neil Wasserman (Department of Computer Science The George Washington University); Dr. Eric L. Moore (Director, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC)); Dr. Natividad Carpintero-Santamaria (Professor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) and General Secretary of the Instito de Fusion Nuclear “Guillermo Velarde”); and Amb. (Ret.) Charles Ray (Former US Ambassador to Cambodia and Zimbabwe). Closing remarks were delivered by Professor Yonah Alexander.
The preface of this report includes an overview of Mother-Nature’s and man-made threats as well as an academic context for our study.