Early 1970s
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat confirms that Egypt has a BW stockpile. No specific agents are mentioned. [Note: Varying reports offer different dates as to when these comments were made by Sadat. Some sources claim that these comments were made in 1970, whereas others list the date to be around 1972.]
--"Egypt's Biological Weapons Program," Federation of American Scientists website, <http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/egypt/bw/index.html>; Dany Shoham, "Chemical and Biological Weapons in Egypt," The Nonproliferation Review, Vol. 5, (Spring-Summer 1998), p. 54.

1972
According to a 1996 U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency report, Egypt began developing biological weapons in 1972. There is no evidence indicating the program has been eliminated. There is no specific mention of whether the weapons have been developed for an offensive or defensive strategic purpose.
--Dana Priest, "U.S. Goes Easy on Allies in Arms Control Crusade," The Washington Post, 14 April 1998; Barbara Starr, "Middle East/Africa: Egypt and Syria are BW Capable, Says Agency," Jane's Defence Weekly, Vol. 26, No. 8, 21 August 1996, p. 15; "Israel Claims that Syria Is Making VX Nerve Gas," Jane's Defense Weekly, Vol. 27, No. 18, 7 May 1997, p. 6.

17 February 1972
At the Arab Socialist Union National Congress, when asked to comment on Egypt's response to a possible Israeli BW attack, President Anwar Sadat stated: "The only reply to biological warfare is that we too should use biological warfare. I believe that the density of the Israeli population confined in a small area would provide the opportunity to reply with the same weapon if they should begin using it. Briefly, we have the instruments of biological warfare in the refrigerators and we will not use them unless they begin to use them."
--Julian Perry Robinson, The Problem of Chemical and Biological Warfare: Volume II: CB Weapons Today (Stockholm, SIPRI, 1973), p. 241.

10 April 1972
Egypt signs the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). However, Egypt is concerned that the BWC does not explicitly ban the use of biological weapons and lacks robust verification provisions. Egypt does not ratify the convention.
--"Document Notes Support for Intensification of Work on a Verification System," M2 Presswire, 4 December 1996.

22 June 1972
Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Mamduh Salim states that Egypt's enemies would never use BW because they are aware that Egypt has "adequate means of retaliating without delay."
--Julian Perry Robinson, The Problem of Chemical and Biological Warfare: Volume II: CB Weapons Today (Stockholm: SIPRI, 1973), p. 241.

January 1993
In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service releases a report, "A New Challenge after the 'Cold War': Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction." The report includes an account of WMD programs at various stages of development in 16 countries, including Egypt. Addressing the issue of Egyptian BW activities the report states that “the country has a program of military applied research in the sphere of biological weapons, but no data has been obtained on the creation of biological agents in the interests of military offensive programs.” The report also expresses some concerns regarding classified research being conducted on at “a U.S. naval military-medical laboratory for the study and development of means of combating particularly dangerous infectious diseases.” Finally the report claims that “[t]oxins of a varying nature are being studied and techniques for their production and refinement are being developed at the present time in a national research center.”
--Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Report: Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, FBIS Document JPRS-TND-93-007, 5 March 1993, p. 48. [translation of Moscow Novyy Vyzov Posle “Kholodnoy Voyny”: Rasprostraneniye Oruzhiya Massovogo Unichtozheniya in Russian, 1993, p. 1-118.]

April 1993
Egypt has a program of "military-applied research" for biological weapons but no known data exists on the creation of biological agents to support offensive military programs. The military BW program began in the 1960s-1970s period, and President Sadat confirmed the storage of biological agents in refrigerating plants.
--"Country Reports: Egypt," Middle East Defense News, Vol. 6, No. 13, 5 April 1993.

May 1993
During the 1960s, Egypt apparently recruited German scientists for its biological weapons program.
--"Wolfgang Lotz," The Times of London, 19 May 1993, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

December 1994
In an article discussing prospects for successful arms-control efforts in the Persian Gulf region is Egypt is mentioned as being one of several Arab states currently possessing some chemical and/or biological weapons capabilities.
--Ronald Mason, "Buying Time to Face New Weapons Arms-Control Efforts in the Gulf May Fall on Stony Ground," Jane’s International Defense Review, Vol. 27, No. 12, 1 December 1994, p. 33, <http://www.janes.com>.

February 1995
Commentator and military analyst Danny Leshem, writing in Israel's Yediot Aharanot, states that not enough attention is paid to Egypt's biological weapons program and asks "...and who can assure us that Egypt does not continue holding a stockpile of biological warfare materials, whose possession Anwar Sadat declared in 1972, a short time before Egypt signed the treaty banning biological weapons?"
--"Agreement Near on 11 Industrial Parks for the Self-Rule Areas," Mideast Mirror, Vol. 9, No. 40, 27 February 1995.

30 May 1995
The U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) releases its Annual Report on Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control Agreements for 1994. In the section on compliance with the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) the report states that "the United States believes that Egypt had developed biological warfare agents by 1972. There is no evidence to indicate that Egypt had eliminated this capability and it remains likely that the Egyptian capability to conduct biological warfare continues to exist."
--Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control Agreements (Washington D.C., Government Printing Office, 1995), p. 15.

February 1996
In an article providing an overview of Egypt's military capabilities, Jane's Defense Weekly says, "There is no evidence that Egypt holds or is developing biological weapons."
--Robert Lowry, "Country Briefing: Military Still Looks to West for Doctrine," Jane's Defence Weekly, Vol. 25, No. 9, 28 February 1996, p. 22, <http://www.janes.com>.

7 August 1996
The U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) Annual Report for 1995 states that "the United States believes that Egypt had developed biological warfare agents by 1972. There is no evidence to indicate that Egypt had eliminated this capability and it remains likely that the Egyptian capability to conduct biological warfare continues to exist." [This text repeats the statements of the previous year: see 30 May 1995]
--Arms Control and Disarmament Agency Annual Report, Section VII: Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control Agreements (Washington D.C., Government Printing Office, 1996), p. 68; Barbara Starr, "Egypt and Syria are BW Capable, Says Agency," Jane's Defence Weekly, 21 August 1996, p. 15, <http://www.janes.com>.

29 August 1997
In its annual report the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) says: "no evidence exists that Egypt has eliminated its biological warfare ability, which has existed since at least 1972 and served as a spur to the treaty itself."
--Lisa Hoffman and Scripps Howard, "U.S. Accuses 7 of Biological Arms Violations," Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), 29 August 1997, p. 22A, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

November 1997
According to the Stimson Center, nine nations including Egypt have chemical and biological weapons.
--Barbara Slavin, "Biochemical Weapons: Poor Man's Nukes," USA Today, 27 November 1997, p. 17A, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

October 1999
In talks with Egyptian Defense Minister Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen states that the Pentagon would like to see friendly states such as Egypt refurbish passive defenses including gas masks and decontamination units and plan for the consequences of a biological weapons attack.
--Jim Mannion, "Cohen Holds Talks with Egyptian Defense Minister," Agence France Presse, 21 October 1999; Richard Engel, "Egypt: Reaping Peace Dividend," Jane's Defence Weekly, Vol. 34 (2), 12 January 2000, <http://www.janes.com>.

January 2000
Egypt reportedly has the potential to produce biological weapons.
--Richard Engel, "Egypt: Reaping Peace Dividend," Jane's Defence Weekly, Vol. 34 (2), 12 January 2000, p. 23.

September 2001
Egypt is thought to have supplies of the causative agents for anthrax, cholera, plague, and botulism. Though it is not clear from the article whether Egypt has weaponized these agents, they can all be delivered as an aerosol. In addition, Egypt has also developed the causative agent for smallpox, which may be delivered via missile (but again, it is not clearly stated whether Egypt has weaponized the agent).
--Jim McBeth, "Toxic Weapons: As Old as the History of War Itself," The Scotsman, 26 September 2001, p. 4, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.

November 2001
Jane's Defense Weekly speculates that the U.S. decision not to sign the BWC verification protocol may have been affected by the presence of biological weapons programs in other countries, including Egypt, though the United States has not publicly named Egypt as a BW-ready state.
--Andrew Koch, "USA Rejects BWC Protocol," Jane's Defense Weekly, 28 November 2001, <http://www.janes.com>.

December 2001
A list of "who has what" regarding biological weapons notes that Egypt has "known research and development."
--Tamar A. Mehuron, "Weapons of Mass Destruction," Air Force Magazine, Vol. 48, No. 12 (December 2001), p. 11.

January 2002
According to Middle East analyst Anthony Cordesman, the United States believes that although Egypt had biological weapons by 1972 and likely retains BW capability, there is no major organized BW production program at this time. However, Cordesman writes that Israeli reports indicate different findings in support of an active program. The Israelis point to comments made by former President Anwar Sadat, who in 1970 stated that Egypt has biological weapons stored in refrigerators ready to use against Israel if need be. The program might include "plague, botulism toxin, encephalitis virus, anthrax, Rift Valley fever and mycotoxicosis." Egypt signed the BWC in 1972 but has not ratified it.
--Anthony H. Cordesman, The Arab-Israeli Military Balance in 2002: Trends in Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Weapons (Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2002), p. 13.

19 March 2002
Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee states that Egypt has likely maintained a biological weapons program since the early 1970s.
--Amy Sands, "Deconstructing the Chem-Bio Threat," Federal News Service, 19 March 2002.

December 2002
An assessment of WMD in the Middle East notes that too few Middle East experts know that Egypt possesses a biological weapons program or that Egypt is pursuing new unconventional weapons. Prior to the November BWC convention, U.S. Undersecretary of State, John Bolton, commented on several Middle East countries and their WMD programs, but did not address Egypt's WMD programs. The oversight was most likely intentional in deference to Egypt's important role in backing the United States in an anticipated invasion of Iraq.
--Al Venter, "A Circle of WMD in the Middle East," Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst," 1 December 2002, <http://www.janes.com>.

	Updated December 2007