BiodefenseWhite Houses unveils new National Biodefense Strategy

Published 19 September 2018

The Trump administration on Tuesday released a new National Biodefense Strategy, along with an order from President Donald Trump that directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take the coordinating lead and establishes a cabinet-level biodefense steering committee. Some experts are praising the broad scope of the strategy, new elements that it covers, and the high-level attention and oversight built into the plan.

The Trump administration on Tuesday released a new National Biodefense Strategy, along with an order from President Donald Trump that directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take the coordinating lead and establishes a cabinet-level biodefense steering committee.

Some experts are praising the broad scope of the strategy, new elements that it covers, and the high-level attention and oversight built into the plan.

Presidential directive builds in high-level support
In a statement Tuesday, Trump said that implementing the steps would promote a more efficient, coordinated, and accountable biodefense enterprise. “Taken together, they represent a new direction in the Nation’s defense against biological threats,” he said.

The new strategy, spelled out in a 36-page document, covers deliberate attacks, accidental releases, and naturally occurring biological threats and pivots off lessons learned during the 2001 anthrax attacks, the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, and West Africa’s 2014-16 Ebola outbreak.

Trump said biological threats come from many sources and know no borders. “They have great potential to disrupt the economy, exact a toll on human life, and tear at the very fabric of society,” he said. “My Administration will take steps to improve our understanding of the risks posed by biological threats and to respond to them effectively and efficiently.”

Steering committee, annual review
Robert Kadlec, HHS Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response (ASPR) today fleshed out more details about the presidential directive, saying leaders from every federal department involved in biodefense will be part of the cabinet-level steering committee and will be led by HHS Secretary Alex Azar.

Azar has asked Kadlec to lead the day-to-day coordination team that supports the steering committee.

As part of the larger biodefense strategy, the coordination team will engage state, local, and territorial governments, along with private and international partners. Kadlec called the plan’s coordination of federal activities and budgets across a full range of biodefense sectors and activities “a monumental step forward.”