Building Partner Capacity to Counter Chemical Weapons Threats

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The recent and increasing use of Chemical Weapons (CW) agents by proliferator states continues to erode the norm against CW use and poses a direct challenge to global nonproliferation efforts. Proliferator states are engaged in research and development efforts involving non-traditional agents (NTAs), Pharmaceutical-Based Agents (PBAs), and other novel agents that pose significant challenges to detection, identification, and attribution should they be used in CW attacks. The increasing pace of innovation in, and decentralization of, CW-relevant scientific fields, in combination with emerging technological tools, including generative AI and machine learning, makes the knowledge of how to produce CW more accessible to a wider range of actors. States and terrorist groups alike may recognize the increasingly lower barrier to entry for CW capabilities as an opportunity they can exploit.