Biotechnology and Military Resilience
Operational Implications and Policy Priorities for India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55763/ippr.2026.07.02.001Abstract
Biotechnology is increasingly relevant to national security and defence preparedness, yet its most important military effects are likely to arise through resilience-building rather than overtly offensive use. This paper examines how emerging biotechnologies may strengthen military capability across three levels of operations: individual soldier performance, unit-level resilience, and theatre-level preparedness. It argues that advances in vaccines, diagnostics, biosensors, regenerative medicine, neurotechnology, and distributed biomanufacturing can improve force health outcomes, accelerate recovery, reduce logistical dependence, and enhance early warning against environmental and biological threats. Because much of this innovation is driven by civilian research ecosystems, defence institutions face a dual challenge: they must absorb useful technologies while also managing the governance risks associated with dual-use research. The paper proposes an analytical framework based on technology readiness, military adoptability, and strategic impact to help prioritise monitoring, investment, and transition. It concludes with policy implications for India, including the need to strengthen indigenous biotechnology capabilities, deepen defence–academia collaboration, and build integrated biodefence infrastructure. The paper contends that biotechnology should be treated as a strategic enabler whose near-term contribution to defence will lie primarily in improving resilience, preparedness, and operational endurance.
Keywords:
biotechnology, military innovation, biodefence, India, resilience, biomanufacturingDownloads
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