Nanotechnology & the New Arms Race

Nanotech weapons causing human extinction

If you still think the use of nanotechnology is just a "conspiracy theory"…

https://medium.com/reciprocall/can-nanotechnology-be-used-as-a-weapon-ec5948a561f5

Nanotechnology opens up the possibility of producing mini-nuclear bomb components that are so small that they are difficult to detect.

Nanotechnology can be used to create powerful, inexpensive chemicals that work even in very small quantities. The main applications of current nanotechnology in chemical weapons will come from research into nano-improved drug delivery systems.

Using nano-sized chemicals that are more easily absorbed by the body could mean that it would be possible to use less potent chemicals.

This means that the knowledge of nanotechnology developed by the pharmaceutical chemical industry to create more efficient products can therefore be used to create nanotechnology-based weapons that are easier to create, more deadly, and more insidious than conventional chemicals.

Military nanotechnology: the defining weapon of the 21st century

Military nanotechnology, especially nanobots, will become the defining weapon of the twenty-first century. Thus, the use of nanotechnology allows existing weapons technologies such as stealth munitions, precision munitions and UAVs to evolve into their final form.

The 3 threats facing humanity if nanotechnology is weaponized

• * First, nanotechnology will make it easier for government actors to develop or use advanced Chemical-Biological (CB) weapons.

Nanotechnology will make these weapons cheaper to manufacture, easier to hide and transport, making them easier to spread among rogue states.

The use of nuclear weapons will increase as nanotechnology will miniaturize them and reduce precipitation. [Sources: 5, 12]

It has been pointed out that many aspects of nanotechnology make it possible to create more powerful chemical weapons. [Sources: 2, 11]

Action is needed to anticipate the threat of nanotechnology for use in offensive chemical and biological weapons. [Sources” 3,6]

• * Second, because new weapons do not use fissile materials (or rarely use them), there is almost no radioactive fallout. Technically speaking, this will not make them a weapon of mass destruction, because these devices will use less or no fissile material and therefore will not actually produce radioactive fallout. [Sources: 1, 13]

• * Third, with the help of nanotechnology, the military can develop disassemblers to attack physical structures and even biological organisms at the molecular level. [Sources: 2,11]

It can be used to destroy our freedom and privacy. Humans can use molecular-sized microphones, cameras, and beacons to monitor other people.

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https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/AUPress/Book-Reviews/Display/Article/1731239/nanoweapons-a-growing-threat-to-humanity/

Nanoweapons: A Growing Threat to Humanity by Louis A. Del Monte. Potomac Books, 2017, 244 pp.

When new technologies cross from industry to the battlefield, calls arise to slow the process and consider international implications of using these weapons. Louis A. Del Monte’s Nanoweapons is one of those calls. A physicist and former executive at IBM and Honeywell, Del Monte led advancements in microelectronics and sensors. His work is a serious attempt to use publicly available information to address the development and use of nanotechnology as weapons. The author brings together ideas normally relegated to science fiction (e.g., laser weapons, artificial intelligence, and self-replicating nanorobots) and uses his technical background to inform the reader as to what is science fact. While his most alarming predictions for humanity’s survival project to the year 2050 and beyond, he argues that his concerns are timely. He indicates that while revolutionary military nanotechnologies (e.g., stealth aircraft) may take decades to field, they are none­theless currently being developed. Now, according to the author, is the time to discuss the dangers of nanoweapons.

The author’s main thesis is that nanoweapons are a danger to humanity that demand greater attention. Despite the secrecy surrounding the development of nanoweapons, Del Monte is confident of their threat.

This fear is based in part on the ranking of nanotech­nology weapons by the Global Catastrophic Risk Conference at the University of Oxford as the most probable means to cause human extinction by the end of this century.

Ex­amples of nanoweapons discussed in the book include nano-enhanced lasers, smaller munitions with increased explosive force, and self-replicating smart nanorobots (SSN).

SSNs search for and destroy targets without human input and self-replicate with materi­als found in the environment. According to the author, SSNs are gravely dangerous nanoweapons that humanity should prohibit.

Central to his concern for humanity’s sur­vival is what he sees as the inherent difficulty in mounting defenses to nanoweapons given their capability to avoid detection and the ability of those who use these arms to escape attribution. While considerable resources have been dedicated to countering nu­clear weapons, little is publicly known about protection from nanoweapons. This is espe­cially concerning to the author because some nanoweapons have characteristics similar to biological pathogens. Giving his readers reason to be apprehensive, Del Monte turns to explaining how today’s nanotechnology can be used to create nanoweapons.

While nanotechnology is already improving our computers, sunscreens, and building materials, the first section of the book provides the nontechnical reader an easy-to-understand introduction to nanotechnology and how it may be used in arms development. The author organizes nanoweapons into five categories: offensive strategic, defensive stra­tegic, offensive tactical, defensive tactical, and passive. Examples are provided for each category, along with an explanation of its offensive, defensive, or passive nature. For in­stance,

the offensive strategic category includes artificially intelligent nanorobots that can target particular individuals,

hypersonic glide missiles (whose development will rely on developing certain nanomaterials), nano-enhanced fuels, and nonelectric guidance sys­tems. The other categories include additional guidance for organizing nanoweapons. While readers will find these categories helpful, a workable definition of nanoweapons is missing.

With this deep level of organization dedicated to understanding nanoweaponry, the reader would hope for a more useful definition of nanoweapons. Nanoweapons are de­fined in the book’s glossary as “any military technology which exploits the use of nano­technology (229).” Although this definition will capture all nanoweapons, it will also include many items that are not weapons. This definition would include a military fi­nance office using a publicly available desktop computer with a nanomanufactured mi­crochip. Is building a weapon with nanomanufactured components all that is required to make the weapon a nanoweapon? If a dry-docked ship is sprayed with anticorrosive nanocoating—increasing its hull strength tenfold (as an MIT study referenced in the book suggests)—is the ship now a nanoweapon? The book makes clear that nanotechnol­ogy is an enabling technology that will empower a wide range of civilian and military applications. But it does not wrestle with the problem that an SSN is fundamentally different than an anticorrosive nanocoating. This issue of defining nanotechnology is a common attribute of nascent scientific fields, but the reader is nevertheless left wanting more. Without addressing this definitional problem directly, Del Monte instead uses other methods to discover what nations are emerging as nanoweapon leaders.

He categorizes the factors needed to facilitate nanoweaponry development and sorts nations by these factors into the Nanoweapons Offensive Capability of Nations (NO­CON) list. The most powerful group, nanoweapon nations—such as the United States and China—has the ability to commercialize nanotechnology, possesses a national desire to strengthen its militaries, and demonstrates an ability to partner with other leading nanotechnology nations. Del Monte goes on to mention other nations on his NOCON list, all of which have varying interactions with nanotechnology. Giving the reader reason to be concerned for the international implications his NOCON suggests, he then high­lights

the events that may tip us into a nanoweapon-driven war.

He predicts two singularities that will spawn nanoweapon-related international dis­ruptions. In addition to the creation of SSNs, the other singularity is the advent of arti­ficial intelligence (AI) that will exceed human intellect. AI will solve many of humanity’s greatest problems, the author posits, but it will also create better SSNs. If AI and SSNs are combined, alliances will form to maintain advantages in a new cold war around the development of AI-powered SSNs. Given their importance, international power will then be rebalanced around nanoweapon capabilities. Nuclear weapon use will increase since nanotechnology will empower their miniaturization and reduce their fallout.

It is these disruptions, brought on by the AI and SSN singularities, that Del Monte claims will dramatically increase the chance of human extinction by 2100.

Given this pessimistic prediction, Nanoweapons next discusses reasons for hope.

The author maintains some optimism for humanity. He notes that humanity has en­gaged in conflict since the beginning of our existence, but recent developments, such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Biological Weapons Convention, show that humanity can act to prevent its extinction. Once humanity comes to know the existential threat that nanoweapons represent, humanity will act to limit their use and thus avert disaster. What we recognize when we use a new personal com­puter, he argues, is not the nanotechnology enabling its use but the impressive perfor­mance it achieves. The author states that humans understand technology by its function, not the technology itself. Thus, to forestall the need to demonstrate a nanoweapon’s threat to humanity, he indicates that current treaties and conventions concerning weap­ons of mass destruction should also regulate strategic nanoweapons.

A workable and more precise definition of nanoweapons will improve this area of study by allowing policy makers to grapple with nanoweaponry development. It will empower leaders to specifically categorize an adversary’s capabilities and document who is developing nanoweapons with greater specificity. Assuming that Del Monte’s cata­strophic predictions are accurate, more scenarios are needed to better inform technolo­gists, military commands, and national leaders working on ways to prevent the negative implications of these technologies. This work is worth reading because it ties together the technical, political, economic, and practical challenges associated with nanoweapons. The initial portion of the book is especially worthwhile for those seeking an approachable introduction to nanotechnology and its use as weaponry. Suggestions for additional read­ing in this area of futurism are Peter W. Singer’s Wired for War and Michio Kaku’s Phys­ics of the Future. Strategic leaders will appreciate the discussions on organizational prob­lems associated with fielding nanoweapons and rebalancing international power. Tactical leaders will find themselves working through different ways to use and defend against nanoweapons. Finally, fans of science fiction will appreciate a technical introduction to many real concepts previously relegated to fantasy.

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https://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/17/mini-nukes-and-inspect-bot-weapons-being-primed-for-future-warfare.html

DEFENSE

Mini-nukes and mosquito-like robot weapons being primed for future warfare

Several countries are developing nanoweapons that could unleash attacks using mini-nuclear bombs and insect-like lethal robots.

While it may be the stuff of science fiction today, the advancement of nanotechnology in the coming years will make it a bigger threat to humanity than conventional nuclear weapons, according to an expert. The U.S., Russia and China are believed to be investing billions on nanoweapons research.

“Nanobots are the real concern about wiping out humanity because they can be weapons of mass destruction,”

said Louis Del Monte, a Minnesota-based physicist and futurist. He’s the author of a just released book entitled “Nanoweapons: A Growing Threat To Humanity.”

One unsettling prediction Del Monte’s made is that terrorists could get their hands on nanoweapons as early as the late 2020s through black market sources.

According to Del Monte,

nanoweapons are much smaller than a strand of human hair and the insect-like nanobots could be programmed to perform various tasks, including injecting toxins into people or contaminating the water supply of a major city.

Another scenario he suggested the nanodrone could do in the future is fly into a room and drop a poison onto something, such as food, to presumably target a particular individual.

The federal government defines nanotechnology as the science, technology and engineering of things so small they are measured on a nanoscale, or about 1 to 100 nanometers. A single nanometer is about 10 times smaller than the width of a human’s DNA molecule.

While nanotechnology has produced major benefits for medicine, electronics and industrial applications,

federal research is currently underway that could ultimately produce nanobots.

For one, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, has a program called the Fast Lightweight Autonomy program for the purpose to allow autonomous drones to enter a building and avoid hitting walls or objects. DARPA announced a breakthrough last year after tests in a hangar in Massachusetts.

Previously, the Army Research Laboratory announced it created an advanced drone the size of a fly complete with a set of “tiny robotic legs” — a major achievement since it presumably might be

capable of entering a building undetected to perform surveillance, or used for more nefarious actions.

Frightening details about military nanotechnologies were outlined in a 2010 report from the Pentagon’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency, including how “transgenic insects could be developed to produce and deliver protein-based biological warfare agents, and be used offensively against targets in a foreign country.”

It also forecast “microexplosives” along with “nanobots serving as [bioweapons] delivery systems or as micro-weapons themselves, and inhalable micro-particles to cripple personnel.”

In the case of nanoscale robots, Del Monte said they can be the size of a mosquito or smaller and programmed to use toxins to kill or immobilize people; what’s more, these autonomous bots ultimately could become self-replicating.

Last month’s targeted assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea’s ruler, was a stark reminder that toxins are available from a variety of sources and can be unleashed in public locations. It’s also been alleged by Russia’s Pravda paper that nanoweapons were used by the U.S. against foreign leaders.

A Cambridge University conference on global catastrophic risk found a 5 percent risk of nanotech weapons causing human extinction before the year 2100.

As for the mini-nukes, Del Monte expects they represent “the most horrific near-term nanoweapons.”

Nanotechnology opens up the possibility to manufacture mini-nuke components so small that they are difficult to screen and detect. Furthermore, the weapon (capable of an explosion equivalent to about 100 tons of TNT) could be compact enough to fit into a pocket or purse and weigh about 5 pounds and destroy large buildings or be combined to do greater damage to an area.

“When we talk about making conventional nuclear weapons, they are difficult to make,” he said. “Making a mini-nuke would be difficult but in some respects not as difficult as a full-blown nuclear weapon.”

Del Monte explained that the mini-nuke weapon is activated when the nanoscale laser triggers a small thermonuclear fusion bomb using a tritium-deuterium fuel. Their size makes them difficult to screen, detect and also there’s “essentially no fallout” associated with them.

Still, while the mini-nukes are powerful in and of themselves, he expects they are unlikely to wipe out humanity. He said

a larger concern is the threat of the nanoscale robots, or nanobots because they are “the technological equivalent of biological weapons.”

The author said controlling these “smart nanobots” could become an issue since if lost, there could be potentially millions of these deadly nanobots on the loose killing people indiscriminately.

Earlier in his career, Del Monte said he held a secret clearance when he worked on Defense Department programs at Honeywell, ranging from missiles to satellites. He also previously worked on advanced computers at IBM and has several patents on microelectronics. In those roles, he led development of microelectronics and sensors.

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Some nanomaterial characteristics that could affect risk.

The following article is from the HDIAC website.

The Homeland Defense and Security Information Analysis Center (HDIAC) is a component of the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD's) Information Analysis Center (IAC) enterprise, serving the defense enterprise of DoD and federal government users and their supporting academia and industry partners.

https://hdiac.org/articles/nanotechnology-the-new-arms-race/ POSTED: JUNE 12, 2017 | BY: GREGORY NICHOLS

Nanotechnology & the New Arms Race

Background

The 100th anniversary of the day the United States entered into World War I is a good time to evaluate how the scientific enterprise is often used to develop technologies that find their way into combat and how those technologies change the face of warfare itself. World War I saw the introduction of the flamethrower, the tank, the airplane and radio into war as well as the first largescale use of chemical weapons. [1]

Each of these technologies were developed many years before the outbreak of the war in 1914, but World War I was the first venue in which they could be adapted to combat. Likewise, radiation was first discovered in the late 1890s, but it was not until World War II that it was weaponized. Unfortunately, these examples illustrate that many technologies, even if originally developed for beneficial purposes, are often weaponized in some way.

The advent of a new technology, nanotechnology, promises improved economies but also presents challenges to the security environment by creating a new arms race sparked by scientific research.

Nanotechnology as a Weapon of War

In general, nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter using specialized tools to create new structures and materials with at least one dimension measuring between 1 and 100 nanometers. At this scale, materials have unique physiochemical properties, and it is this aspect of nanotechnology that can either create wonderful benefits for humanity or potential weapons of war. Military spending on nanotechnology has been reported by several countries, including China, France, India, Iran, Israel, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. [2] Breakthroughs in nanotechnology have already led to new developments in camouflage, stealth and armor, [3] and this development will continue. However, there is also continued concern for the misuse of nanotechnology. Civilian and military research on emerging technologies has been overlapping, which has caused some to fear a reduction in transparency and that nanotechnology could be misused to make weapons of mass destruction. [4] Weapons made with nanotechnology (nanoweapons) could potentially be found in five different forms:

1. Augmented varieties of existing weapons types

2. Tiny machines, such as robots, that could create new types of destruction

3. Hyper-reactive explosives due to extremely small particle sizes and unique physicochemical properties

4. Pathogens and chemicals linked to nanomaterials creating new types of hybrid chem-bioweapons with more efficient delivery systems

5. Materials with superior electromagnetic properties that could cause disruption to the electrical grid and communications infrastructure

In 2008, at the Global Catastrophic Risk Conference in Oxford, participants were given a survey regarding their opinions on different types of disasters that could happen by 2100. One quarter of participants answered that molecular nanoweapons would be responsible for the death of at least 1 million people, and 10 percent of participants believed at least 1 billion people could die from the same fate. [5] It has even been argued that nanotechnology could be used to create the next generation of nuclear weapons. [6] More recently, there has been concern regarding the convergence of nanotechnology with other emerging technologies, such as biotechnology and synthetic biology, to create a new type of biological weapon. [7] Nanotechnology seems to be a key target for many nations in terms of changing the landscape of politics and war.

United States

The United States has taken the lead in nanotechnology research, particularly for defense applications. So far, most of these developments have used nanotechnology to enhance existing weapons types. For example, a patent was filed in 2009 for an advanced armor-piercing projectile partially constructed of a material known as NanoSteel, [8] which is composed of nanoscale particles of austenitic and ferritic stainless steels. [9] The U.S. military accounts for 90 percent of global military nanotechnology research and development spending, [2] establishing the Department of Defense (DoD) as the largest military spender on nanotechnology research in the world. In 1995, former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. David Jeremiah stated that military applications of molecular manufacturing have greater potential to change the balance of power than even nuclear weapons. [10] The DoD has spent approximately $5 billion on nanotechnology research since 1999, [11] and most of the funding has been directed to eight organizations: the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Office of Naval Research, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Defense Threat Reduction Agency, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

The DoD has established two institutes solely dedicated to defense-related nanotechnology research. The Institute for Nanoscience was established at the Naval Research Laboratory in 2001 to conduct multidisciplinary research at the nanoscale, and the U.S. Army established the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies in 2002 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to conduct basic and applied research to create new materials, devices, processes and systems and to transition promising results toward practical products useful to the warfighter. [12] In 2016, the DoD announced a $75 million investment in the Revolutionary Fibers and Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute at MIT, where nanomaterials will play a significant role. [13]

China, Russia and Iran

The worldwide growth of nanotechnology has been unprecedented compared with other technologies. China, Russia and Iran have demonstrated extremely strong growth as evidenced by increased collaboration in science, education and business ventures centered on nanotechnology. In late 2016, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work commented that Russia and China were competitors because they are developing advanced capabilities that worry the United States. [14] In particular, a new type of race regarding nanotechnology has been brewing between the two powers for more than 15 years, with each exploring the use of the technology for military applications. [15]

China has been interested in military applications of nanotechnology for nearly as long as the United States. In 1996, Maj. Gen. Sun Bailin of the Chinese Academy of Military Science wrote an article, “Nanotechnology Weapons on Future Battlefields,” in which he described potential applications of nanotechnology in warfare. [16]

In 2002, a major nanotechnology conference supported by the People’s Liberation Army General Equipment Detachment and the National Defense Science and Engineering Committee was held in Beijing. [17] China has several programs aimed at developing new technologies for a variety of uses. Most notably are the 863 Program (National High Technology Research and Development Program), which stimulates the development of advanced technologies in a wide range of fields, singling out nanotechnology as a priority, and the 973 Program (National Basic Research Program), which “seeks to improve capacity for innovation” and also has projects involving nanotechnology. [18]

Additionally, Russia has focused efforts on nanotechnology in two major areas. First, through its Rusnano Corporation, Russia aims to commercialize major achievements in nanotechnology and turn them into viable businesses.

Rusnano was formed in 2011 following the reorganization of the Russian Nanotechnologies Corporation, which was a state-owned entity established in 2007. The platform for Rusnano uses the capacities of Russian science and the transfer of advanced foreign technologies. [19] Second, in 2012, Russia established the Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects, which focuses on high-risk research and is modeled after DoD’s DARPA, to develop weaponry and defense systems that could be used by 2025/2030. [20] One project, the Integrated Protective Soldier Systems, will combine nanotechnology with advances in body armor and exoskeleton technology to create a force-multiplier for Russian troops.

In 2007, Russia announced the development of a bomb nicknamed the Dad of All Bombs. It is four times more powerful than the previously most powerful bomb, the U.S. Massive Ordinance Air Blast (MOAB) nicknamed the Mother of All Bombs. [21] This weapon is the largest non-nuclear bomb, containing less explosives than the MOAB with the ability to create a blast radius twice as large as that of the MOAB. What sets this bomb apart is that the explosives were designed with the use of nanotechnology.

The working theory is that the smaller particles are more reactive and thus a smaller volume is needed to produce an equally large, if not larger, explosion than the same or larger volume of explosives with larger particles. Weapons technology such as this could revolutionize how ordinance is manufactured.

Iran has been actively engaged in nanotechnology research since 2002 when the Nanotechnology Initiative Council was founded. [22] In 2004, a center for nanotechnology research was established in Isfahan, which is a defense and research focal point of Iran where the Iranian nuclear program is based. [18] The steady growth of nanotechnology development in Iran, even in the face of economic sanctions, has moved Iran into the top ranks of nanoscience placing it among the likes of the United States and China. [23]

Stopping an Attack

Nanotechnology is often referred to as a “dual-use” technology in that most of the legitimate uses of the technology could also be misappropriated. Not all of the interest in nanotechnology gravitates toward weapons development. Quite a bit of the nanotechnology research worldwide seeks to understand applications of nanotechnology for non-military use as well as countermeasures, particularly for CBRN defense. As with any technology, there is the chance that individuals or groups could use nanotechnology for nefarious purposes – if they have not done so already. The challenge is twofold: how to deter the weaponization of nanotechnology without stifling beneficial research; and, if nano-enabled weapons are developed and/or used, how to detect and counter them.

Most experts agree that existing treaties and policies regarding humanitarian protections and those that ban the development and use of chemical and biological weapons are mostly sufficient to cover the use of nanotechnology for weapons developments. However, holes still remain as the concept of nanotechnology could possibly evade parts of some of these conventions. [24,25,26] Still, until the legal/regulatory debate is ironed out, the possibility of nanoweapons lingers. Several recommendations from the Partnership for Peace Consortium’s Security Challenges Working Group provide a good starting point for being prepared for the use of nanotechnology in weaponry:

• Raise awareness of developments that could threaten the security of a state, society and individual

• Increase awareness of the dual role of emerging technologies and their unintended consequences

• Promote partnerships with [nongovernmental organizations], think tanks, academia and industry to increase analytical capacities available to policy institutions

• Identify and address [emerging security challenges, (ESC)] issues now, even if the threat seems to be remote

• Build ESC into national curricula and have it addressed within national institutions [27] A key way to minimize the likelihood that nanotechnology will be misused is to create a culture of responsible research and innovation, which is “an approach that anticipates potential implications and societal expectations with regard to research and innovation” and aims “to foster the design of inclusive and sustainable research and innovation.” [28] Responsible research and innovation involves researchers, citizens, policy makers and organizations working together to improve research and innovation outcomes aligning with societal values and expectations. Creating communities of practice centered around what it means to innovate responsibly ensures that researchers and innovators are held accountable for their actions, keeping them in check against the needs of the communities they serve.

Conclusion

Existing military applications of nanotechnology primarily include defensive gear, countermeasures, armor, medications, new high-yield explosives and enhancements to existing classes of weapons. It does not appear that fundamentally new types of weapons have been developed with nanotechnology.

However, with global military interest and high levels of defense spending on nanotechnology, particularly with nations such as China, Russia, Iran and the United States, a true nanoweapon is bound to be developed and possibly even used at some point in the near future.

The first step to ensuring that more advanced weapons development does not occur is to promote awareness of the potential for nanotechnology to be used as a weapon and to create a culture centered on responsible research and innovation with the hope that nothing further would be needed. The second step is to begin
preparing for attacks involving advanced nanoweapons in case the first step fails.

References

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20. European Commission. (2016, Sept. 10). Russia’s advanced research foundation advancing as an answer to US DARPA. Retrieved from http:// idstch.com/home5/international-defence-security-and-technology/industry/ russia-s-advanced-research-foundation-advancing-as-an-answer-to-us-darpa/ (accessed April 12, 2017).

21. International Defence, Security & Technology. (2007, Sept. 11). Russian military uses nanotechnology to build world’s most powerful non-nuclear bomb. Retrieved from http:// www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=2546. php (accessed April 12, 2017).

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