NATO medical chief calls for preparations for potential biological war

BRUSSELS, October 6. /TASS/. The North Atlantic Alliance needs to prepare for a potential biological war and the militarization of healthcare, Brigadier General Petter Iversen, who chairs NATO’s Committee of the Chiefs of Military Medical Services, told Rapporteur.

"Health and healthcare can be a part of a new battlefield for an adversary that does not respect the conventions," he said, as cited by the media outlet.

Iversen believes the impact could come through cyberattacks or by undermining trust in health systems. According to him, the West needs to have "a little bit more imagination" when preparing for the unknown and also adopt a more agile approach to deal with the "potential use of biological weapons."

"For example, a severe pandemic situation as we had during COVID, but with an extra layer on top of that of a stressful security situation - that’s the setting that we need to prepare for," Iversen said.

He also stressed the importance of Europe and the West achieving greater strategic independence in pharmaceuticals and medical supply chains. "The military can’t solve this issue; it’s up to the politicians," he stressed.