Defense Department lays out biomanufacturing strategy
FOR BIOWARFARE
The Department of Defense on Wednesday released its biomanufacturing strategy, saying the issue carries "significant implications" for national security and U.S. economic competitiveness in the future. Biomanufacturing (pictured) is a process of using living systems to create materials and chemicals, and the Department of Defense says it could have a host of military applications one day.
The United States has been increasingly concerned about advancements in the field of biomanufacturing from competitors such as China.
"We must safeguard the United States bioeconomy, as foreign adversaries and strategic competitors alike use legal and illegal means to acquire United States technologies and data, including biological data, and proprietary or precompetitive information, which threatens United States economic competitiveness and national security," Biden said in his executive order.
In September, the Department of Defense announced $1.2 billion in funds for biomanufacturing.
The Department of Defense on Wednesday released its biomanufacturing strategy, saying the issue carries "significant implications" for national security and U.S. economic competitiveness in the future. Biomanufacturing (pictured) is a process of using living systems to create materials and chemicals, and the Department of Defense says it could have a host of military applications one day.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Army
March 22 (UPI) -- The Department of Defense on Wednesday released its biomanufacturing strategy, saying the issue carries "significant implications for national security and economic competitiveness."
Though the process of using living systems to create materials at large scale might seem tangential to U.S. military missions, Defense officials said the concept carries real-world implications and opportunities for America's military.
"Biomanufacturing is the use of biological mechanisms in the manufacturing process. Work is rapidly advancing that would introduce biomanufacturing processes for production of fuels, chemicals and even construction materials," the Department of Defense said in a news release Wednesday.
"The field also has the potential to enable creation of biologically based environmental sensors, wearable technology and materials with wholly novel properties."
The three principles laid out in the biomanufacturing strategy are to "establish transition partners for early stage innovations," to "develop biomanufacturing at home and with allies," and "mapping out the biomanufacturing ecosystem and tracking metrics that support future DoD biomanufacturing efforts."
"The strategy's principles will define the path we must take to not just delay advanced technologies, but turn them into advanced capabilities that meet national security needs," said Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of Defense for science and engineering.
In September, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on advancing biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovation, which emphasized that the administration's policy is "to coordinate a whole-of-government approach to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing towards innovative solutions in health, climate change, energy, food security, agriculture, supply chain resilience, and national and economic security."
March 22 (UPI) -- The Department of Defense on Wednesday released its biomanufacturing strategy, saying the issue carries "significant implications for national security and economic competitiveness."
Though the process of using living systems to create materials at large scale might seem tangential to U.S. military missions, Defense officials said the concept carries real-world implications and opportunities for America's military.
"Biomanufacturing is the use of biological mechanisms in the manufacturing process. Work is rapidly advancing that would introduce biomanufacturing processes for production of fuels, chemicals and even construction materials," the Department of Defense said in a news release Wednesday.
"The field also has the potential to enable creation of biologically based environmental sensors, wearable technology and materials with wholly novel properties."
The three principles laid out in the biomanufacturing strategy are to "establish transition partners for early stage innovations," to "develop biomanufacturing at home and with allies," and "mapping out the biomanufacturing ecosystem and tracking metrics that support future DoD biomanufacturing efforts."
"The strategy's principles will define the path we must take to not just delay advanced technologies, but turn them into advanced capabilities that meet national security needs," said Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of Defense for science and engineering.
In September, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on advancing biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovation, which emphasized that the administration's policy is "to coordinate a whole-of-government approach to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing towards innovative solutions in health, climate change, energy, food security, agriculture, supply chain resilience, and national and economic security."
The United States has been increasingly concerned about advancements in the field of biomanufacturing from competitors such as China.
"We must safeguard the United States bioeconomy, as foreign adversaries and strategic competitors alike use legal and illegal means to acquire United States technologies and data, including biological data, and proprietary or precompetitive information, which threatens United States economic competitiveness and national security," Biden said in his executive order.
In September, the Department of Defense announced $1.2 billion in funds for biomanufacturing.
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