Top CDC official says that due to funding cuts “public health for our nation and the world is put at risk”

Anthony Sanchez, High Containment Laboratory Manager at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, has provided Etopia News with comments regarding how lack of funding is preventing progress against the spread of the Ebola virus.  Asked by Etopia News about interest in how basic research into the genomics of the Ebola virus could be turned into useful therapies, here’s what he had to say:

“I think the interest is tempered by the funding needed to develop countermeasures.  BARDA (http://www.phe.gov/about/BARDA/Pages/default.aspx) is a government mechanism for funding such work (and CDC programs do submit proposal to them), but at CDC this has not been a major push in the filovirus arena, but some drug testing and pathogenesis studies are being conducted.  Right now funding is down, but perhaps the W. Africa outbreak will lead to increased support for such programs.  I am optimistic that CDC will continue to have the expertise required to have a role in these types of public health initiatives.  At times it comes down to the number of staff you have, the resources at hand, and events (such as the Ebola outbreak) that affect the direction of CDC’s efforts.  Funding for CDC has been significantly impacted, and its ability to respond and do what it does best has been compromised.  In turn, public health for our nation and the world is put at risk.  Best of luck with your research.”

Possible direction for genomic research to defeat Ebola

Anthony Sanchez, High Containment Laboratory Manager at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, was kind enough to respond to an inquiry from Etopia News about any possible means of defeating the Ebola virus on the basis of genomic weaknesses it might have.

He wrote back, in pertinent part:

“…there have been studies (by other researchers) that have shown the Ebola virus VP35 and VP24 genes are involved in immunosuppressive effects on the interferon pathway.  The products of these genes could be targeted for antiviral drug development, but that is something yet to be realized. “

According to Sanchez, this line of research “is something yet to be realized.”

What could be done to see that it is realized?  Soon.

Boeing issues statement on UCLASS

Today, Etopia News, in pursuit of answers to the intertwined questions of the UCLASS’s capabilities and its status under a proposed ban on killer robots, sent out e-mails to the four potential contractors for the UCLASS air vehicle segment, asking them:

1.       Do you want the RFP for UCLASS to specify a penetrating, stealthy, war-fighting configuration, or one focused on ISR?

2.       Is your company concerned that a high-end capable UCLASS would run afoul of the proposed ban on “autonomous lethal weapons systems” or “killer robots” being sought by the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, which is being administered by Human Rights Watch and about which you can learn more at:

http://etopianews.blogspot.com/2014/07/uclasss-status-as-killer-robot-is-still.html

 

The one sent to Lockheed Martin bounced, and the ones to Northrop Grumman and General Atomics have not yet elicited a response, but Boeing wrote back, saying:

“Boeing is competing for UCLASS, but due to the competitive nature of the program, we are not prepared to discuss details of our work at this time. I can tell you that Boeing will give the U.S. Navy an affordable UCLASS solution that can provide a persistent Carrier Vessel Nuclear (CVN)-based Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and strike capability supporting 24/7 carrier operational coverage. Boeing has more than 90 years of naval aviation experience including delivering carrier based aircraft to the U.S. Navy. Additionally, Boeing's capabilities-based approach and rapid prototyping allows us to create an affordable, low-risk solution for our customer.”

UCLASS’s status as a “killer robot” is still in doubt

The U.S. Navy has successfully fielded the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System  Demonstrator (UCAS-D), a self-piloting jet plane capable of landing and taking off from an aircraft carrier. 

Now it is pursuing the development of the UCLASS, or Unmanned Carrier-Launched Surveillance and Strike system, which may or may not qualify as a “killer robot” subject to a proposed ban on such weapons being sought by the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots.

Read more about the reasoning behind this campaign here:

http://www.hrw.org/topic/arms/killer-robots

Etopia News reached out to Human Rights Watch, global coordinator for the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots and asked if they considered UCLASS a “killer robot.”  Here’s what they had to say:

“The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots is calling for a ban on fully autonomous weapons, i.e., weapons systems that can select and fire on targets without meaningful human intervention. It appears that the UCLASS will have certain autonomous features, such as the ability to take off and land from an aircraft carrier on its own.  But that technology by itself is not problematic for our campaign.  The UCLASS’s categorization as a fully autonomous weapon will ultimately depend on whether or not it has the ability to determine when to use lethal force.  The answer to that question is not clear at this point although the direction the system’s development takes going forward will merit watching.” 

U.S. Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA), who earlier chaired a panel discussion on banning “killer robots” , had no comment on the question of UCLASS’s status in this regard, his office telling Etopia News:

“Unfortunately, we have not yet had enough of an opportunity to study that particular system to be able to comment.  I won’t be able to go beyond the materials I’ve already sent you.”

           

Objections, Disagreements, and Timetable for UCLASS

Dr. Peter Asaro, vice-chair of the International Campaign for Robot Arms Control (ICRAC), has told Etopia News that:

“Of course… weaponizing the X47B [a UCLASS prototype] would likely be part of a follow-on project and prototype. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unmanned_Carrier-Launched_Surveillance_and_Strike_program

“That said, the prototype X47B has 2 weapons bays, and the spec sheet claims it is designed to carry 4500 lbs of ordinance ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X47B).  What is unclear is how the targeting and delivery of that ordinance might be controlled (direct human control like Predator/Reaper, pre-programmed GPS coordinates like a Cruise missile, or automatic target recognition).  If it were the latter, automatic target recognition, then it would be an Autonomous Weapon System (AWS), according to the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, i.e. a system capable of choosing and attacking targets without meaningful human control.”

Pentagon brass and Congressional advocates spar on specs

 You can learn more about divergence of views between those of top officials at the Pentagon and the Chairman of the Seapower Subcommittee here:

http://etopianews.blogspot.com/2014/07/will-uclass-system-be-stealthy.html

Pentagon is going ahead with the process

Regardless of the possible objections of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots or the disagreements about the appropriate capabilities for the UCLASS systems, the Navy says it is going forward with its RFP and awarding of a contract to build the “air vehicle segment” of that system.  According to a Navy spokesperson on July 24th:

“The Navy plans to release the final RFP this summer for the air vehicle segment. Contract award is planned for mid 2015.”

Unanswered Questions:

Will the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots be able to win a ban on a "lethal and autonomous" UCLASS?  Will the Chairman or the Admiral get the kind of UCLASS he prefers?  Will the UCLASS be able to give the U.S. air superiority in anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) situations?

Get the latest UCLASS news from Etopia News.  Follow Etopia News on Twitter at: @etopianewsnow and on Facebook, at Etopia News.