the rollback of south africa's biological warfare program

More documents

Recommendations

Info

About the Institute INSS is primarily sponsored by the National Security Policy Division, Nuclear and Counterproliferation Directorate, Headquarters US Air Force (HQ USAF/XONP) and the Dean of the Faculty, USAF Academy. Our other sponsors currently include the Air Staff’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Directorate (XOI) and the Air Force's 39th and 23rd Information Operations Squadrons; the Secretary of Defense’s Office of Net Assessment (OSD/NA); the Defense Threat Reduction Agency; the Army Environmental Policy Institute; and the Air Force long-range plans directorate (XPXP). The mission of the Institute is “to promote national security research for the Department of Defense within the military academic community, and to support the Air Force national security education program.” Its research focuses on the areas of greatest interest to our organizational sponsors: arms control, proliferation, regional studies, Air Force policy, information operations, environmental security, and space policy. INSS coordinates and focuses outside thinking in various disciplines and across the military services to develop new ideas for defense policy making. To that end, the Institute develops topics, selects researchers from within the military academic community, and administers sponsored research. It also hosts conferences and workshops and facilitates the dissemination of information to a wide range of private and government organizations. INSS provides valuable, cost-effective research to meet the needs of our sponsors. We appreciate your continued interest in INSS and our research products. JAMES M. SMITH Director viii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The profile of South Africa is of an increasingly isolated state that felt threatened by a more powerful state actor and hostile regimes and movements in neighboring states. One response of the apartheid regime to changing threat perceptions in the region was to develop a chemical and biological warfare (CBW) program, along with continued support for a nuclear weapons program, to counter perceived threats. The decision-making process, which was secretive and controlled by the military, enabled a sophisticated program to be developed with little outside scrutiny. Military and police units used chemical and biological agents for counter-insurgency warfare, assassination, and execution of war prisoners. Increasingly, the apartheid regime felt threatened by growing political opposition at home that supported the liberation armies’ goal of achieving majority rule through the use of illegal and violent means. The regime’s increasingly vulnerable position led to plans for research and development of exotic means to neutralize domestic opponents, as well as weaponization and large-scale offensive uses of the program. However, these plans were not operationalized. The end of the external threat led to a decision to negotiate with political opponents and unilaterally dismantle CBN programs. However, extensive external pressures by the US, UK and other countries were required to ensure roll back of biological and chemical programs. This dismantlement process proved to be a slow and difficult to implement due to the lack of civilian control over military programs. Subsequent revelations that the former director of Project Coast, Dr. Wouter Basson, had secretly retained copies of classified documents previously thought to be under limited government control, fuels continuing proliferation concerns in place. Today a divide exits between those who believe that South Africa developed one of the most sophisticated biological (and chemical) ix
Page 1: THE ROLLBACK OF SOUTH AFRICA’S BI
Page 5 and 6: TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword vii Exec
Page 7: FOREWORD We are pleased to publish
Page 11 and 12: The Rollback of the South African B
Page 13 and 14: During WWII, South African Prime Mi
Page 15 and 16: dollars) estimate to build a CBW pr
Page 17 and 18: learn first-hand how the Portuguese
Page 19 and 20: use of chemical and biological agen
Page 21 and 22: incidents underscored the variable
Page 23 and 24: Convention (BWC). According to form
Page 25 and 26: Project Coast, which would countera
Page 27 and 28: internal suppression of political d
Page 29 and 30: Malan, and the Minister of Finance,
Page 31 and 32: The chain of command demonstrates t
Page 33 and 34: omb could be used to wipe out or in
Page 35 and 36: tear gas and to incapacitate withou
Page 37 and 38: In the aftermath of Cuito Cuanavale
Page 39 and 40: confirmed, there is evidence that s
Page 41 and 42: the SSC. At this time, the security
Page 43 and 44: Given the breadth and depth of coop
Page 45 and 46: instruct scientists working with a
Page 47 and 48: the South African President’s off
Page 49 and 50: Mandrax and Ecstasy that were produ
Page 51 and 52: overseas business deals. 114 In Aug
Page 53 and 54: South Africa negotiated the withdra
Page 55 and 56: political party or organization. Pr
Page 57 and 58: nuclear weapons program and Project
Page 59 and 60:
TRC, the men who tried to kill Chik
Page 61 and 62:
In 1991, Basson began to build Mert
Page 63 and 64:
Military personnel from several cou
Page 65 and 66:
Meyer, the Acting Defense Secretary
Page 67 and 68:
leave the SADF at the end of March
Page 69 and 70:
Knobel’s testimony to the TRC, SA
Page 71 and 72:
objected to the South African CBM a
Page 73 and 74:
Basson and his trips to Libya were
Page 75 and 76:
experiences for the military leader
Page 77 and 78:
was submitted in 1994). This time U
Page 79 and 80:
as the U.S., Great Britain, and oth
Page 81 and 82:
investigation phase ended. Initiall
Page 83 and 84:
June 1998. However, several weeks b
Page 85 and 86:
penalties did finally force him to
Page 87 and 88:
public. The State was operating on
Page 89 and 90:
The limited news coverage of the Ba
Page 91 and 92:
South African court for crimes comm
Page 93 and 94:
ulings excluding evidence, his timi
Page 95 and 96:
had asked him to set up a facility
Page 97 and 98:
cover illegal personal gains from t
Page 99 and 100:
who had detailed knowledge of many
Page 101 and 102:
9. What specifically and when did t
Page 103 and 104:
e delivered through food and water,
Page 105 and 106:
Reconciliation Commission of South
Page 107 and 108:
41 Interview with Dr. G. Scharf, fo
Page 109 and 110:
56 Mangold, Plague Wars, 243. 57 In
Page 111 and 112:
weaponization took place. Donald Ma
Page 113 and 114:
home of Jerry Nilsson, who was ques
Page 115 and 116:
he still need to raise cash in Sout
Page 117 and 118:
military bases and was familiar to
Page 119 and 120:
162 According to Dr. Ian Phillips,
Page 121 and 122:
Basson’s arrest was the result of
Page 123 and 124:
200 By the seventh week of the tria
Page 125:
115
show all

the rollback of south africa's biological warfare program

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?