World War III Will Be Fought With Viruses

Contact Your Elected Officials
Wall Street Journal Header

A two-front biological and cyber attack could lead to a U.S. defeat before we know what hit us.

Vladimir Putinโ€™s losses in Ukraine and the rebellion of the Wagner Group have increased the chances that the Russian president will lash out and expand the 17-month-old conflict. But World War III may not be what you expect. The current paradigm of escalating nuclear conflict was articulated 60 years ago by physicist Herman Kahn, founder of the Hudson institute, but other technologies have come a long way since then. Conventional guns, bombs, missiles or troops may not figure in World War III at all. Biological and computer viruses are likely to be the weapon of choice.

Covid wasnโ€™t a deliberate attack, but it quickly and successfully damaged the American economy. Any nation thinking of using a deadly virus as a weapon of war would first need to immunize its own people, perhaps under the guise of a flu vaccination. Long-term population-level immunity would require the virus be sufficiently optimized, before release, to reduce the probability of further mutation.

The novel coronavirus was sufficiently optimized so that no serious mutations occurred for nine months. The Delta variant appeared in India in October 2020. A weaponized virus would also need to incorporate an immune suppression geneโ€”Covid had ORF8โ€”that reduces early symptoms, facilitating spread by asymptomatic carriers. For a covert attack to be successful, the virus would need to be released not in the country of origin but in the target country, perhaps near a biological facility so the world would falsely conclude it came as a leak from a surreptitious domestic program.

Recall that early Covid panic came from Italyโ€™s inability to care for all of its infected patients. Thus, for maximum disruption, the second thrust of any aggression might be a cyber attack on hospitals, perhaps disguised as ransomware. Again, the trick would be to make it seem as if the attack were originating outside the aggressorโ€™s country. In other contexts this is called a โ€œfalse flagโ€ operation. The target country might not even recognize it as part of a two-front, synergistic attack of biological and computer viruses.

Ransomware could simultaneously target energy grids, power plants, factories, refineries, trains, airlines, shipping, banking, water supplies, sewage-treatment plants and more. But hospitals would be the most salient targets. Avoiding obvious military targets would enhance the illusion that World War III hadnโ€™t begun. The attacker or attackers might falsely claim their own systems are also under siege. Misdirection can be more effective than a smoke screen.

By Richard A. Muller

Read Full Article on WSJ.com and Here

Richard A. Muller served as a Jason National Security adviser for 34 years. He is a professor of physics emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. His books include โ€œPhysics for Future Presidentsโ€ and โ€œEnergy for Future Presidents.โ€

The growing threat of ransomware attacks on hospitals

Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journalhttps://www.wsj.com/
The Wall Street Journal was founded in July 1889. Ever since, the Journal has led the way in chronicling the rise of industries in America and around the world.

How The Big Beautiful Bill Will Keep Louisiana’s Energy Industry Strong

Renewable or not, our federal govt should not be rigging the deck against any energy sources, especially nuclear power that is both clean and consistent.

On Declaring War, Congress De Facto Amended the Constitution

Congress has de facto amended the Constitution by 55 years of refusing to debate matters of war and peace.

LGBTQโ„ข Propaganda Roundup: Tampon Tim Walz Fails the Test

LGBTQโ„ข Propaganda Roundup: Nip/tucking the latest social engineering fisted...

AI is Now an Existential Threat

We now see evidence that artificial intelligence is an existential threat to our future. It is coming to take American jobs!

Supreme Court Curbs Nationwide Injunctions, Handing Trump a Major Victory

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal district judges can no longer issue nationwide injunctions, delivering a victory for Trump and his admin.

FBI Says Itโ€™s Uncovered โ€˜Largest Health Care Fraudโ€™ in American History

FBI and DOJ said $15 billion in losses was reported in โ€œlargest health care fraudโ€ investigation in U.S. history. Officials charged more than 300 people.

Trump Admin Finds Harvard Violated Civil Rights Over Alleged Anti-Semitism

A second investigation by the Dept of Health and Human Services is the latest action in a long dispute between Trump and Americaโ€™s oldest university, Harvard.

AOC โ€“ Acting On Cue

It is easy to dislike Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), also known as Sandy Cortez, because she is fraudulent and not to smart.

โ€˜I wanted to do something to fight backโ€™: This iPhone app alerts users to nearby ICE sightings

Joshua Aaron's app, ICEBlock, is designed to let users alert people nearby to sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in area.

Canada-US Trade Talks Will End Until โ€˜Certain Taxesโ€™ Are Dropped, Trump Stresses

Trade discussions between Canada and the United States will end โ€œuntil such time as they drop certain taxes,โ€ U.S. President Trump said in an interview.

Trump Says US to Send Tariff Letters to Trade Partners Before July 9 Deadline

President Donald Trump said Sunday he will soon send letters to trading partners detailing the tariffs to be imposed on their exports to the United States.

Trump Says He Found a Buyer for TikTok

President Trump said he found a buyer for the Chinese-owned short video application TikTok, and that he will reveal the group in roughly two weeks.

Termination of โ€˜Wasteful Contractsโ€™ Saves US Government $470 Million Last Week: DOGE

Over the past seven days, various government agencies have terminated 312 โ€œwasteful contractsโ€ with a ceiling value of $2.8 billion, the DOGE said.
spot_img

Related Articles