By Jason Kwan

Staff Writer

  Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke to a crowd of students on Oct. 22 about the possibility of genetically modified soldiers at the 19th World Festival of Youth in Russia.

  According to Putin, Russian scientists were on the verge of breaking the genetic code, which would allow for the creation of humans with pre-chosen characteristics. If this becomes a reality, scientists would be able to create an army of super soldiers who are incapable of feeling pain or fear.

  “He can be a genius mathematician, a brilliant musician, or a soldier, a man who can fight without fear compassion, regret, or pain,” said Putin.“What I have described might be worse than a nuclear bomb.”

  The Russian leader pleaded world leaders to come together and agree on regulations limiting genetic manipulation because he knows that advancements like this are inevitable. He warned that there could be serious repercussions to altering man’s genetic code.

  “When we do something, whatever we do, I want to reiterate it again – we must never forget about the ethical foundations of our work,” stated Putin.

    Besides Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States are also on the brink of making super soldiers a reality. Since the year 1990, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), an agency of the United States Department of Defense, has shifted their focus from developing weapons systems to transforming humans for war.

  Michael Goldblatt, former director of the Defense Sciences Office in DARPA worked closely with DARPA to develop a pain vaccine that would stop bleeding and reduce agony, allowing soldiers to continue fighting. Ideally, soldiers injected with the vaccine would only feel pain for 10 to 30 seconds, then no pain at all for 30 days.

  “The creation of super soldiers will be imperative to 21st-century warfare,” Goldblatt told DARPA. “Soldiers having no physical, physiological, or cognitive limitation will be key to survival and operational dominance in the future.”