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SEATTLE – Washington State University faculty member Thomas Preston believes it’s not a matter of if but when and how renegade terrorist groups will use weapons of mass destruction to cause the greatest number of civilian deaths possible.

Only one percent of the approximately 600,000 cargo containers brought into Seattle ports each year are inspected, making the city and other seaports particularly vulnerable to attacks. Preston thinks much can be done to lessen the likelihood and to prepare for an effective crisis response program to a bioterrorist attack.

He will discuss his research in “Biological Warfare: The New Face of Terrorism” from noon to 1:30 p.m. April 18 at The Rainier Club, 840 4^th Ave., Seattle. Tickets are $30 per person and include lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m., with registration to begin at 11:30 a.m. To reserve a spot, visit https://www.wsu.edu/theinnovators or call toll free, (877) 978-3868. Registration will continue until capacity is reached.

Preston, author of the new book “From Lambs to Lions: Future Security Relationships in a World of Biological and Nuclear Weapons,” believes that to protect the health and safety of Americans in the years ahead, the United States must focus its attention on large-scale attacks from its enemies. The biggest threat today originates from biological—not nuclear—weapons, particularly biological weapons obtained by terrorists.

In his book, Preston, an expert in political psychology and international relations, discusses not only the immediate steps the United States must take to prepare for a quick, efficient and effective response to a bioterrorist attack, but also how the proliferation of both nuclear and biological weapons has profoundly changed the dynamics of power around the globe.

With biological weapons, loosely organized groups outside the political mainstream have the ability to capsize a superpower. Imagine a scenario in which individuals exposed to a deadly virus start to surface at local hospitals. The 30 or so intensive care beds would quickly become overwhelmed with thousands of people needing treatment. Once the virus was identified, the small supply of vaccine reserved for first responders would be depleted and the rest of the population left unprotected.

Preston’s research focuses extensively on nuclear and biological weapons proliferation, bioterrorism, leadership analysis and foreign policy decision making. He has authored two other books, “The President and His Inner Circle: Leadership Style and the Advisory Process in Foreign Affairs” (2001, Columbia University press) and “Introduction to Political Psychology” (2004, Erlbaum). He has also written numerous refereed journal articles and book chapters on presidential leadership, advisory relations, bureaucratic politics, and foreign policy analysis.

For more information on Preston and his research, visit The Innovators Website at www.wsu.edu/theinnovators.