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A few weeks ago, we celebrated the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, the end of World War II. This is a war that still has an impact on diplomatic relations, economic policies and social preceptions. Soon, no one that remembers this war will be alive but its impact will outlive it.
That is why I wanted to ask this question.
What role does technology play in war and peace? and most importantly…
What is the ultimate measure of success for defence technologies?
As an eternal optimist, I want to believe that it means less loss of life.
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Today in At the Frontier, we are talking about the actual frontier.
Defence tech.
To be clear, we will NOT cover Category 05 or 06 technologies that are dealing with ammunition, missiles, and warfare directly. Simply put, we are not discussing things that go boom. But the much more nuanced grey space of dual-use technology.
The military has always been a great incubator for technology. GPS, microwaves, duct tape, and even the EpiPen have roots in R&D for military applications, but they have advanced and contributed to civilian life equally (if not more).
Categories of defence technology - blue is usually
Where is the future?
"Just like the Industrial Age, just like the Information Age, this is the Biotechnology Age. Most people do not know that."
In a recent report for the The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology highlighted that there is an area of defence spending that has been largely understudied.
Biotech
Pilgrim Labs recently raised a $3.25 million round led by Thiel Capital, Cantos, and Refactor with the aim to develop biotech for the battfield. Jake Adler, Founder of Pilgrim Labs, has a mission of bypassing the lengthy R&D cycles of “normal” biotech in order to accelerate technologies that could be used to create supersoldiers.
Although still in its early days, Adler has showcased (and self-tested) nanomaterials for rapid would healing and blood-clotting adhesives, while also discussing the development of vaccines against bio-weapons as a preventative measure.
These technologies are just scratching the surface of what is possible with biotechnology in combat scenarios.
Next-stage biotech
A black market for demining has also sprung up. These “dark deminers” offer cheap rates by employing workers on low wages and failing to insure them. Although many such deminers are former combat engineers, they often lack experience in dealing with the latest mines. Oleh Ushkalo, a farmer in the Kherson region, was approached by unlicensed deminers who offered to clear his land at a bargain rate of about $100 per hectare. He declined.
Landmines are present in over 70 countries worldwide, more than 110 million of them. Unlike other weapons, landmines are indiscriminate, cheap to produce (sometimes for as little as $3), and remain deadly long after a war ends.
Ukraine, now referred to as “the biggest minefield in the world,” has over 30% of its landmass contaminated, according to Human Rights Watch.
One unlikely but powerful solution may come not from hardware, but from synthetic biology. For decades, researchers like Dr. Robert Burlage at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have worked on genetically engineering microbes to detect hidden explosives.
The most promising results have been shown by Belkin et. al. These microbes act as bioreporters, encased in tiny beads, they can be scattered across potentially contaminated land. When receptors on their surfaces detect trace levels of explosive vapour like DNT, a cascade intracellular mechanisms activates a fluorescent signal.
The main challenge is measuring faint bioluminescence in vast outdoor terrains, which requires advanced laser detection systems. They are being developed in tandem.
If successful, this approach offers a safe, scalable, and affordable way to detect mines using biology, not unskilled labour like in the report above.
Unlikely partners
PitchBook recently published their data on the quiet migration of climate tech startups into the defense tech world, arguing that khaki is the new green. Responses varied.
In the end, what determines a technology as good or bad, or worthy to be explored?
In my humble opinion, dual-use technologies, whether biotech or climate related need to take a page out of the PR spacetech handbook.
Space exploration has always been a military conquest but hasD somehow penetrated the civilian imagination gaining a kinder and aspirational preception albeit extremely risky, impossibly expensive and potentially lethal.
I take this conversation with a huge amount of respect for people in conflict zones who do not get the luxury of wondering if and when and why defence technology is good or bad.
If you want to continue this conversation I would be happy to hear your thoughts!
Peace,
Giota