COVID-19: The Security Implications

From American Thinker.com (April 7):

Assuming that the explanations coming from the Chinese government have no credibility, the true origins of COVID-19 are not yet known.  This has encouraged a great deal of online idle speculation, including conspiracy theories ranging in terms of Chinese deception from low to high: (1) tainted "wet market" bat meat; (2) tainted "wet market" bat meat originating from the Wuhan Institute of Virology; (3) a laboratory accident, (4) an intentionally concealed laboratory accident; (5) a bioterror attack by a rogue individual; and (6) intentional bioterror attack by a belligerent regime.

Not knowing whether this event is a zero-level national security threat versus a high-level national security threat is a direct function of our not having sufficient information, the blame for which can be firmly placed on the Chinese government and its failure to provide critical information at critically important times.  This lack of credibility is alarming because there is a direct inverse relationship between Chinese credibility and the conspiracy theory continuum, such that the lower the credibility of the Chinese government, the greater the likelihood that the true origin of the virus is higher on the continuum.

As tempting as it might be to join the chorus of idle speculation and conspiracies (what is the internet for, after all?), there are some things that are known about COVID-19 and potential bioterror attacks, and so far there has not been much discussion of these things, most of which have very serious national security implications.  Here are two points worth considering.

Assuming that the explanations coming from the Chinese government have no credibility, the true origins of COVID-19 are not yet known.  This has encouraged a great deal of online idle speculation, including conspiracy theories ranging in terms of Chinese deception from low to high: (1) tainted "wet market" bat meat; (2) tainted "wet market" bat meat originating from the Wuhan Institute of Virology; (3) a laboratory accident, (4) an intentionally concealed laboratory accident; (5) a bioterror attack by a rogue individual; and (6) intentional bioterror attack by a belligerent regime.

Not knowing whether this event is a zero-level national security threat versus a high-level national security threat is a direct function of our not having sufficient information, the blame for which can be firmly placed on the Chinese government and its failure to provide critical information at critically important times.  This lack of credibility is alarming because there is a direct inverse relationship between Chinese credibility and the conspiracy theory continuum, such that the lower the credibility of the Chinese government, the greater the likelihood that the true origin of the virus is higher on the continuum.

As tempting as it might be to join the chorus of idle speculation and conspiracies (what is the internet for, after all?), there are some things that are known about COVID-19 and potential bioterror attacks, and so far there has not been much discussion of these things, most of which have very serious national security implications.  Here are two points worth considering.

First, even if this pandemic was not intentional, it could have been.  In other words, China and a lot of other bad actors have the capability of unleashing a pandemic of this nature upon the earth, and it is a threat the USA is clearly unprepared for. This is an existential threat that cannot be dealt with by increasing the number of aircraft carriers or fighter jets.  As the daily pressers reveal the horrific numbers of new cases and deaths, it is very clear how unprepared government at all levels was to deal with this particular threat.

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Secondly, even if the unleashing of COVID-19 was not intentional, the Chinese and other potential enemies have now seen how the U.S. government would react to a bioterror attack, and they have learned that the decision-makers will default on the side of short-term humanitarian concerns, sacrificing long-term damage to our economy and the freedoms that are the bedrock of our civilization. This means that the response will catalyze any future attack because the decision apparatus will destroy itself and wipe out the sources of its advantage as the world’s only superpower.  Enemy knowledge of this response increases the likelihood that there will be an intentional bioterror attack in the future. [read more]