As leading partner of the RESIST consortium and member of the Cluster P3 (for the preparation, prevention and protection of the population and the environment from CBRN threats) SAFE participated in the conference “Global Security and CBRN Risk Protection”, held on December 11th, 2019 at ENEA HQ, Rome.
The conference focused on new and old CBRN threats and actors in the modern fast-changing environment as well as on the need to cooperate and carry out a coordinated action.
In today’s fast-changing environment, CBRN precursors can be easily accessed by a multiplicity of actors, thus increasing the threat which is becoming more and more difficult to identify due to its interdisciplinary nature and unpredictable users. As pointed out by Mr. Barbareschi from WHO, synthetic biology could be seen as the new hacking.
Bottom line, the keywords “preparedness” and “technological advancement” emerged as the number one countermeasure in relation to responding to such threats. Similarly, interoperability, support and coordination, especially from institutional leaders, were identified as vital. Within this frame, Major Santini from the Joint NBC Defence School in Rieti, highlighted the importance of effectively responding to an emergency through ad-hoc training and the inclusion of universities and private sector actors in the process.
The “Global Security and CBRN Risk Protection” conference emphasises on the relevance and timing of the RESIST project.