I feel the need... the need, for speed!"
It's true for Navy pilots, and its even more true if we want a warning and defense system for bioterror attacks. Why? Because when it comes to those attacks, without early detection defense becomes exponentially harder.
Want to see exactly why, in action? Have a look at the recent "Dark Winter" scenario around a hypothetical smallpox attack.
This proposal for a molecular fingerprinting center is excellent, and well worth a read (LA Times, May 1, 2002). In one fell stroke, it would enhance our detection capabilities, improve our treatment options, and bolster deterrence by making it easier to pinpoint the origins of attacks.
My only addendum: Israel has a thriving pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. A satellite center there would provide useful redundancy, leverage an ally whose knowledge in this area is very considerable (thanks in part to the many Russian scientists who emigrated), and provide economic assistance to an ally whose economy has been hurt by terrorist attacks.
Best of all, it's a form of foreign aid in which every penny would directly contribute to defending the United States.
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