Tournament: University of Kentucky | Round: 2 | Opponent: Harker AV | Judge: Bennett Dombcik
The COVID epidemic has exposed massive flaws in biosecurity, lack of public health compliance, anti-vaxxers, and PPE shortages have shown unique vulnerabilities – the US is specifically exposed
Lyon 21 (Regan Lyon; 7/1/21; Military Medicine, Volume 186, Issue7-8, July-August 2021, Pages 193-196; "The COVID-19 Response Has Uncovered and Increased Our Vulnerability to Biological Warfare"; accessed 8/13/21; https://academic.oup.com/milmed/article/186/7-8/193/6135020**; Department of Defense Analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School) HB *We do not endorse the ableist language of the card*
INTRODUCTION Biological warfare has been an unlikely, but serious, concern for military operations
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than government-sponsored campaigns and require further research by public health officials.
Patents are the key to preventing bioweapon development – they prevent technology from being accessible to hostile state and non-state actors
Finlay 10 (Brian Finlay; Summer 2010; The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, "The Bioterror Pipeline: Big Pharma, Patent Expirations, and New Challenges to Global Security"; accessed 8/13/21; Brian Finlay is a senior associate at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC, where he directs the Managing Across Boundaries Program. He has worked at the Brookings Institution, the Century Foundation, and Canadas Laboratory Center for Disease Control/Health Canada; pages 54-58; ask me for the pdf) HB
NEW CHALLENGES: THE BIOTECH REVOLUTION AND THE ROLE OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR Myriad private
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groups-may gain access to the capacities necessary to develop a bioweapon.
Millett and Snyder-Beattie 17 (Piers Millett and Andrew Snyder-Beattie; 2017; Health Security, Volume 15, Number 4; "Existential Risk and Cost-Effective Biosecurity"; accessed 8/13/21; https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/hs.2017.0028**; Piers Millett, PhD, is a Senior Research Fellow, and Andrew Snyder-Beattie, MS, is Director of Research; both at the University of Oxford, Future of Humanity Institute, Oxford, England.; page 378) HB
Why Uncertainty Is Not Cause for Reassurance Each of our estimates rely to some extent
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of our conservative models, until superior models of the risk emerge.
Bioweapon usage causes extinction – increasing development of lethality and spread proves that the threat is increasing – action now to bolster infrastructure is key
Millett and Snyder-Beattie 17 (Piers Millett and Andrew Snyder-Beattie; 2017; Health Security, Volume 15, Number 4; "Existential Risk and Cost-Effective Biosecurity"; accessed 8/13/21; https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/hs.2017.0028**; Piers Millett, PhD, is a Senior Research Fellow, and Andrew Snyder-Beattie, MS, is Director of Research; both at the University of Oxford, Future of Humanity Institute, Oxford, England.; page 374) HB
In the modern context, no single disease currently exists that combines the worst-
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becomes more accessible and the pool of experienced users grows.31,32