Everything about Dual-use Technology totally explained
Dual-use is a term often used in
politics and
diplomacy to refer to
technology which can be used for both
peaceful and
military aims. It usually refers to the
proliferation of
nuclear weapons, but that of
bioweapons is a growing concern.
Many types of
nuclear reactors produce
fissile material, such as
plutonium, as a by-product, which could be used in the development of a
nuclear weapon. However, nuclear reactors can also be used for peaceful, civilian purposes: providing electricity to a city, for example. As such, a nation which wanted to develop a nuclear weapon could build a reactor, claiming it would be used for civilian purposes, and then use its plutonium to build a nuclear weapon.
During the
Cold War, the
United States and the
Soviet Union spent billions of dollars developing rocket technology which could carry humans into space (and even eventually to the
moon). The knowledge gained from this peaceful rocket technology also served in the development of
intercontinental ballistic missile technology as well.
The
International Atomic Energy Agency attempts to monitor dual-use technology in countries who are signatories of the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to make sure that fissile material isn't diverted to military functions. In recent events, both
Iran and
North Korea have been accused of having nuclear weapons programs based on dual-use technology.
Lax
biosecurity at
laboratories is worrying researchers and regulators that potential
select agents may fall into the hands of malevolent parties. It may have been instrumental to the
2001 anthrax attacks in the
United States, and unintentional
SARS virus leaks led to lethal outbreaks in
China,
Taiwan and
Singapore over 2003 and 2004. Universities may flaunt regulations, complacent of the dangers in doing so. Though the majority of breaches are benign, the
hybridization of
Hepatitis C and
dengue-fever viruses at
Imperial College London in 1997 resulted in a
fine when
health and safety rules were not observed.
[citationneeded] A research program at
Texas A&M was shut down when
Brucella and
Coxiella infections were not reported. That the July 2007
terrorist attacks
in central London and
at Glasgow airport may have involved medical professionals was a recent wake-up call that
screening people with access to
pathogens may be necessary. The challenge remains to maintain security without impairing the contributions to progress afforded by research.
Most industrial countries have
export controls on certain types of designated dual-use technologies, and they're required by a number of treaties as well. These controls restrict the export of certain commodities and technologies without the permission of the government. The principal agency for dual use export controls in the United States is the
Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security.
More generally speaking, dual-use can also refer to any technology which can satisfy more than one goal at any given time. Thus, expensive technologies which would otherwise only serve military purposes can also be utilized to benefit civilian commercial interests when not otherwise engaged such as the
Global Positioning System.
Further Information
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