Biodefence ✓

: While countries like the Soviet Union once ran massive covert programs to weaponize diseases like smallpox and plague, international treaties (like the Biological Weapons Convention) shifted the focus to purely defensive research [22, 35].

: Experts from the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense argue that natural pandemics, like COVID-19, are as much a biodefence concern as intentional attacks [9, 10]. biodefence

For a deeper dive into the history and potential future of these threats, the graphic novel Germ Warfare: A Very Graphic History provides a visual walkthrough of these "microscopic weapons" [4]. : While countries like the Soviet Union once