NATO Secretary General Wants Allies To Accelerate Innovation And Investment In Biotechnology To Strengthen Defense

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. (Source: NATO)

JAKARTA - Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Mark Rutte urged alliance allies to accelerate innovation and investment in biotechnology in order to strengthen the alliance's military advantage.

Speaking at the first NATO Biotechnology Conference in Belgium on Tuesday, Rutte described the event as a "mean step" to enhance collaboration and take advantage of biotechnology potential.

"Promoting innovation in the field of biotechnology is an important part of this," he said, quoted from Anadolu, October 29.

"This will help ensure our military has the best and most advanced capabilities," he said.

Rutte further stressed that modern defense requires more than just traditional military assets.

"To stay safe, we don't just need tanks, jets, ships, drones and ammunition," he said.

"We also need to develop, acquire, and integrate biotechnology into our defense capabilities," said Rutte.

Warns that China and Russia have advanced rapidly in this field, Rutte noted "public funding for Chinese biotechnology research will reach at least $3 billion by 2023" and "Chinese strategy in this field arming supply chains and trade restrictions."

On the other hand, Rutte accused Russia of using biotechnology for covert purposes.

"Russia, Russia, is trying to exploit dangerous tools, such as its biological weapons program, which it can use to fight its enemies," he said.

"We must not allow them to take advantage of this advantage," Rutte warned, referring to China, Russia, and other countries, including North Korea and Iran.

Highlighting NATO's own progress, it points to the alliance's Biotechnology & Human Improvement Strategy and the work of Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), which has funded "a total of 28 promising biotechnology companies" over the past two years.

He said biotechnology had been used in military contexts, including telemedicine, blood supply, and wearable technology that monitored fatigue and early signs of trauma.

"These applications increase physical, cognitive, and sensory capabilities," said Rutte.

"This makes us stronger, and makes us safer," he said.

Rutte also called on allies "to step up efforts to ensure we remain at the forefront of the biotechnology revolution," saying NATO has "one-class infrastructure, a very skilled workforce, tough research and development capabilities, and more."