The Spirit of Asilomar Entreaty Against Biological Weapons

The document outlines an entreaty endorsed by over 100 experts at 'The Spirit of Asilomar' conference, condemning the development and use of biological weapons. It argues that the most effective way to deter biological weapons is to accelerate the equitable global deployment of tools for attribution, early detection, and rapid countermeasure manufacturing. The text highlights ongoing threats from state actors, specifically Russia and North Korea, as well as non-state actors, and emphasizes that increasing global access to vaccines and countermeasures in developing countries reduces the attractiveness of biological weapons.

• A group of over 100 experts at the Spirit of Asilomar conference formally condemned the development, stockpiling, and use of biological weapons, asserting that there is no benefit to offensive biological weapons or the malicious use of biology.
• To achieve a world free of biological weapons, the authors call for an aggressive increase in the deployment of tools for attribution, early detection, and the rapid design and manufacturing of countermeasures, which must be equitably distributed globally.
• There are active concerns regarding the continued existence of biological weapons programs in Russia and North Korea, as well as the potential for non-state actors to use biological weapons to target agricultural production.
• Based on 2022 expert surveys by the Council on Strategic Risks, the attractiveness of biological weapons is significantly influenced by whether global access to vaccines and countermeasures is advanced, particularly in developing countries.

APA

Wentzel, J. (2025). The Spirit of Asilomar Entreaty Against Biological Weapons. The Council on Strategic Risks. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/06/26/the-spirit-of-asilomar-entreaty-against-biological-weapons/

Chicago

Wentzel, Josh. The Spirit of Asilomar Entreaty Against Biological Weapons. The Council on Strategic Risks, 2025. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/06/26/the-spirit-of-asilomar-entreaty-against-biological-weapons/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Wentzel |first1=Josh |title=The Spirit of Asilomar Entreaty Against Biological Weapons |publisher=The Council on Strategic Risks |date=26 June 2025 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/06/26/the-spirit-of-asilomar-entreaty-against-biological-weapons/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{wentzel2025spirit, author = {Wentzel, Josh}, title = {{The Spirit of Asilomar Entreaty Against Biological Weapons}}, publisher = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2025}, month = jun, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/06/26/the-spirit-of-asilomar-entreaty-against-biological-weapons/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }