Biological Threats to United States National Security

Biological Threats to United States National Security

The Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee met to gain a deeper understanding of the nature and severity of biological threats to our security as well as the preparedness to respond to these threats.

2019

The US Government must end the cycle of crisis into complacency. Numerous factors will facilitate continued risk from biological threats such as political instability, globalization, and scientific/technological advancement. The commission urges Congress to invest in biothreat reduction as the national security imperative. The economic case shows the value of investing early in preparedness infrastructure rather than the large cost of allocating resources after a crisis occurs. The Commission advocates for the establishment of a U.S. Global Health Crises Response Corps, which will build upon and integrate existing CDC and USAID capabilities, to work with local partners to respond early to outbreaks and biosecurity incidents in disordered and insecure settings around the world. Another area of concern is the dependency of our medical supply chain, which will be exacerbated if we are faced with a drug resistant pathogen.