Dehradun, December 12: The threat of viruses and other antigens being used as "biological weapon" exists, said Indian Army Vice Chief Lieutenant General SK Saini. To ward off the threat of biological warfare, and to remained prepared to tackle the evolving threat posed by adversaries, the Indian Military Academy (IMA) continues to revise its training methodology.

The syllabi and training exercises could be modified, if required, after reviewing the threat of biological warfare, Lt Gen Saini said. His remarks, in backdrop of the global coronavirus pandemic, came on the sidelines of IMA's Autumn Term Passing Out Parade.

On being asked by LatestLY whether the IMA would rejig its training module considering the threat, the Vice Army chief said the authorities have taken cognisance of "Virus and other antigens can be used as bioweapons".

"As far as our training methodology and syllabi are concerned, they are continuously revised to incorporate the changes that take place in the nature and character of warfare. It is a continuous process and the training is accordingly modified," he added.

Biological weapons were first used on major scale in the First World War. Since then, nerve agents have been used by totalitarian countries and spy agencies to eliminate select-targets. Analysts fear that authoritarian regimes may undermine the threat of collateral damage and use viruses to cause disease outbreaks in countries they consider as adversaries.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 12, 2020 03:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).