U.S.-Armenia Enhance Cooperation on Bio-terrorism Investigation

YEREVAN — From October 31 to November 1, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) offered a five-day course in International Joint Bio-Terrorism Investigation (IJBTI) for Armenian officials.

The course brought together 24 mid-level public health, veterinary, and law enforcement officials from multiple disciplines, including the RA Ministries of Health, Economy, Emergency Situations, and Defense as well as the Police, the Food Safety Inspectorate, the National Security Service, and the State Revenue Committee.

During the course, participants were introduced to managing bioterrorism, both detecting and mitigating bio risks and threats, and investigating and interdicting illicit trafficking of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). They conducted joint exercises built on scenarios and case studies involving biological agents. The course also introduced various applications of bio-terrorism, such as in the area of agriculture and the food industry, and its relationship to WMD proliferation. IJBTI provided an excellent opportunity to exchange experience and methodologies in managing biothreats across agencies.

By improving Armenia’s efforts to prevent, deter, detect, interdict and investigate incidents involving nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and developing professional cadres in the relevant disciplines, this course supports the larger goal of improving WMD investigation capacity and biological surveillance network in Armenia.