Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense

Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense

The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense is a privately funded entity established in 2014 to provide for a comprehensive assessment of the state of U.S. biodefense efforts and to issue recommendations that will foster change. From 2014-2015, the Commission convened four public meetings in Washington, DC on biological threat awareness, prevention and protection, surveillance and detection, and response and recovery. Current and former Members of Congress, former Administration officials, state and local representatives, thought leaders, and other experts provided their perspectives on current biodefense efforts, including strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. While much good work has been achieved toward biodefense, these meetings have revealed systemic challenges in the enterprise designed to protect Americans from biological events. The Commission continues to advocate for uptake of these recommendations at the highest levels of American government, through additional meetings, reports, and other activities, and is the only such body of bipartisan, former high-level policymakers to do so. read less
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A Tribute to Senator Lieberman with the Release of the 2024 National Blueprint for Biodefense
14-05-2024
A Tribute to Senator Lieberman with the Release of the 2024 National Blueprint for Biodefense
We all lost a visionary leader and friend with the unexpected passing of Senator Joe Lieberman, who along with Governor Tom Ridge co-chaired the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense for ten years. His death came just as the Commission was preparing to release our 2024 National Blueprint for Biodefense: Immediate Action Needed to Defend Against Biological Threats. Senator Lieberman, who worked tirelessly to defend Americans against biological threats, was a driving force behind this report. So, it is only fitting that we host a special tribute to Senator Lieberman as we publicly release the new National Blueprint for Biodefense. The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense (formerly the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense) was established in 2014 to provide a comprehensive assessment of the state of United States biodefense efforts and to issue recommendations that foster change. Subsequently, the Commission has briefed White House Administrations (including then Vice President Biden); testified before Congress; convened numerous meetings with experts; released 12 reports; produced the graphic novel Germ Warfare; and mobilized biodefense conversations and actions in the private and public sectors. In its  2015 bipartisan report,  A National Blueprint for Biodefense: Leadership and Major Reform Needed to Optimize Efforts, the Commission described biological threats to the Nation and made 33 recommendations to optimize US efforts to prevent, deter, prepare for, detect, respond to, attribute, recover from, and mitigate intentionally introduced, accidentally released, and naturally occurring biological events. Many recommendations from this report have been taken up by the government, including the National Biodefense Strategy, a federal biodefense budget crosscut by the Office of Management and Budget, and the recent Biodefense Posture Review by the Department of Defense. The world continues to experience rising threats from offensive biological weapons programs, lab accidents, and outbreaks affecting our national security. There have been burgeoning biotechnological advances in medical countermeasures (e.g., antibiotics, antivirals, vaccines, diagnostics) yet huge gaps in prevention, deterrence, preparedness, detection, response, attribution, recovery, and mitigation still remain. The federal government must address gaps in the US biodefense enterprise. Nine years after its seminal report, the Commission is releasing the 2024 National Blueprint on Biodefense with specific recommendations for government leaders in Congress and the Administration to strengthen the federal government’s biodefense posture.   Learn more here: A Tribute to Senator Lieberman with the Release of the 2024 National Blueprint for Biodefense - Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense (biodefensecommission.org)

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A Tribute to Senator Lieberman with the Release of the 2024 National Blueprint for Biodefense
14-05-2024
A Tribute to Senator Lieberman with the Release of the 2024 National Blueprint for Biodefense
We all lost a visionary leader and friend with the unexpected passing of Senator Joe Lieberman, who along with Governor Tom Ridge co-chaired the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense for ten years. His death came just as the Commission was preparing to release our 2024 National Blueprint for Biodefense: Immediate Action Needed to Defend Against Biological Threats. Senator Lieberman, who worked tirelessly to defend Americans against biological threats, was a driving force behind this report. So, it is only fitting that we host a special tribute to Senator Lieberman as we publicly release the new National Blueprint for Biodefense. The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense (formerly the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense) was established in 2014 to provide a comprehensive assessment of the state of United States biodefense efforts and to issue recommendations that foster change. Subsequently, the Commission has briefed White House Administrations (including then Vice President Biden); testified before Congress; convened numerous meetings with experts; released 12 reports; produced the graphic novel Germ Warfare; and mobilized biodefense conversations and actions in the private and public sectors. In its  2015 bipartisan report,  A National Blueprint for Biodefense: Leadership and Major Reform Needed to Optimize Efforts, the Commission described biological threats to the Nation and made 33 recommendations to optimize US efforts to prevent, deter, prepare for, detect, respond to, attribute, recover from, and mitigate intentionally introduced, accidentally released, and naturally occurring biological events. Many recommendations from this report have been taken up by the government, including the National Biodefense Strategy, a federal biodefense budget crosscut by the Office of Management and Budget, and the recent Biodefense Posture Review by the Department of Defense. The world continues to experience rising threats from offensive biological weapons programs, lab accidents, and outbreaks affecting our national security. There have been burgeoning biotechnological advances in medical countermeasures (e.g., antibiotics, antivirals, vaccines, diagnostics) yet huge gaps in prevention, deterrence, preparedness, detection, response, attribution, recovery, and mitigation still remain. The federal government must address gaps in the US biodefense enterprise. Nine years after its seminal report, the Commission is releasing the 2024 National Blueprint on Biodefense with specific recommendations for government leaders in Congress and the Administration to strengthen the federal government’s biodefense posture.   Learn more here: A Tribute to Senator Lieberman with the Release of the 2024 National Blueprint for Biodefense - Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense (biodefensecommission.org)
Meeting the Moment: Biodefense Policy, Procurement, and Public Health
11-12-2023
Meeting the Moment: Biodefense Policy, Procurement, and Public Health
This meeting was recorded on Tuesday, December 5, 2023. Find more information about this meeting here: Meeting the Moment: Biodefense Policy, Procurement, and Public Health - Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense (biodefensecommission.org) As the Nation continues to endure the consequences of recent pandemics, and with continued interest in biological weapons by nation states and other enemies, the federal government has an opportunity to address vulnerabilities in the biodefense enterprise. At this meeting, titled Meeting the Moment: Biodefense Policy, Procurement, and Public Health, the Commission intends to further explore : (1) biodefense policies and activities at the Department of Defense; (2) federal stockpile evaluation and decision-making for smallpox medical countermeasures; (3) needed authorities of the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and (4) biodefense leadership.
No Checkered Flag: The Perpetual Race Against Biological Threats
10-10-2023
No Checkered Flag: The Perpetual Race Against Biological Threats
In this meeting, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense will explore: (1) state and local efforts to strengthen public health and biodefense; (2) special security management of biological threats to mass gatherings; and (3) efforts to understand and mitigate the agricultural impact of biological threats to plants and animals. Learn more here: https://biodefensecommission.org/events/no-checkered-flag-the-perpetual-race-against-biological-threats/ Speakers will include: Governor Eric J. Holcomb Virginia A. Caine, MD, Director and Chief Medical Officer, Marion County Public Health Department Kristina Box, MD, Former Indiana State Health Commissioner Tory Castor, JD, Senior Vice President of Governmental Affairs, Indiana University Health Sergeant Robert Brown Jr., Program Manager, Counter-WMD (CBRNE) Unit, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Special Agent Casey P. Farrell, Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordinator, Indianapolis, Federal Bureau of Investigation Julia Vaizer, MD, Medical Director, Indianapolis Motor Speedway John Ball, Vice President, Security and Event Services, Pacers Sports & Entertainment Darcy E. P. Telenko, PhD, Associate Professor of Plant Pathology, Purdue University Bret D. Marsh, DVM, Indiana State Veterinarian, Indiana State Board of Animal Health Paul Ebner, PhD, Professor of Animal Sciences, Purdue University
Solving the Puzzle: Biological Intelligence and Information Sharing
02-08-2023
Solving the Puzzle: Biological Intelligence and Information Sharing
As the biological threat continues to evolve, biological intelligence gathering, analysis, and dissemination activities must increase to keep pace with the advances of our adversaries. At this upcoming meeting, the Commission intends to further explore the expanding nature of the biological threat, the federal biological intelligence enterprise, and information sharing with non-federal governments. See here for more information: Solving the Puzzle: Biological Intelligence and Information Sharing - Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense (biodefensecommission.org) Speakers include: The Honorable Kenneth L. Wainstein – Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Department of Homeland Security Dr. Paul Friedrichs – Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Global Health Security & Biodefense, National Security Council, The White House; former Joint Staff Surgeon, Department of Defense Marina Mayo – Section Chief, Countermeasures and Mitigation, Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, Federal Bureau of Investigation Dr. William T. “Thom” Burnett – Chief Scientist, National Center for Medical Intelligence, Department of Defense Dr. Chris Rodriguez – Director, District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency  Joshua Bushweller – Director, Delaware Information & Analysis Center, Delaware State Police                                 Colin Mulloy – Deputy Director, Kansas Intelligence Fusion Center Judith Harrison – Assistant Chief, Counterterrorism Division, New York City Police Department
Informing Blueprint 2.0: Know the Enemy
16-05-2023
Informing Blueprint 2.0: Know the Enemy
In this upcoming meeting, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense intends to further explore the prevention, deterrence, and attribution of biological threats. The discussion will delve into how these critical elements of biodefense can be improved through technology, policy, and coordination. This meeting will inform the Commission’s refresh of the National Blueprint for Biodefense, which we will issue later this year. Learn more here: https://biodefensecommission.org/events/informing-blueprint-2-0-know-the-enemy/
Informing Blueprint 2.0: Please, Look Up!
03-04-2023
Informing Blueprint 2.0: Please, Look Up!
Recorded on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 In this meeting, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense further explores preparedness needs and efforts, new solutions to improve biosurveillance, and data modernization. The discussion delves into how preparedness coordination between federal and state efforts can be better harmonized and how the nation can best ensure having eyes on the ground during the emergence of a biothreat. This meeting will inform the Commission’s refresh of the National Blueprint for Biodefense, which we will issue later this year. See more information about this meeting here: https://biodefensecommission.org/events/informing-blueprint-2-0-please-look-up/
Afterthoughts: Response, Recovery and Mitigation of Biological Events
12-12-2022
Afterthoughts: Response, Recovery and Mitigation of Biological Events
Seven years after the release of the Commission’s National Blueprint for Biodefense, the Nation remains critically unprepared for future biological events, which threaten to strain resources and impact government efforts to address threats like COVID-19. At this meeting, the Commission intends to further explore challenges for biodefense response, recovery, and mitigation capabilities at all levels of government and the private sector. Learn more here: https://biodefensecommission.org/even...
Banding Together: Partnerships for Biodefense
30-09-2022
Banding Together: Partnerships for Biodefense
On Thursday, September 22, 2022 the Commission held an in-person meeting - Banding Together: Partnerships for Biodefense. The Commission delved into how to optimize partnerships to defend against biological threats, a critical enabler of success identified in its report released earlier this year, The Athena Agenda: Advancing The Apollo Program for Biodefense. The meeting examined what is needed to incentivize and effectively manage partnerships between the federal government and industry, academia, and nongovernmental organizations to drive technology innovation and improve biological intelligence for current and future threats.
When Borders Don’t Matter Defending the Homeland Against Biological Threats
10-05-2022
When Borders Don’t Matter Defending the Homeland Against Biological Threats
On Tuesday, May 3, 2022 the Commission convened an in-person meeting to provide the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense with a better understanding of: (1) biological incidents that affect homeland and national security; (2) roles and responsibilities of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in addressing biological threats; and (3) opportunities to enhance national biodefense.   See more information about the event here: When Borders Don’t Matter: Defending the Homeland Against Biological Threats - Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense
The Biological Threat Expanse - Current and Future Challenges to National Biodefense
28-03-2022
The Biological Threat Expanse - Current and Future Challenges to National Biodefense
On Tuesday, March 22, 2022, the Commission convened for an in-person meeting to provide a better understanding of: (1) the expanding landscape of current and future biological threats; (2) the roles and responsibilities of the federal government in assess and preparing for various biological threats; and (3) biological weapons, bioterrorism, and biological arms races. More information on the event is available here: The Biological Threat Expanse: Current and Future Challenges to National Biodefense - Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense
The Athena Agenda: Executing the Apollo Program for Biodefense
20-01-2022
The Athena Agenda: Executing the Apollo Program for Biodefense
The Commission’s baseline 2015 report, A National Blueprint for Biodefense: Leadership and Major Reform Needed to Optimize Efforts, warned that the United States was inadequately prepared for biological threats. Six years later, the U.S. experience with COVID-19 continues to validate our original findings. The Commission’s January 2021 report, The Apollo Program for Biodefense: Winning the Race Against Biological Threats, details an ambitious goal-directed program to develop and deploy the technologies needed to defend against all biological threats, empower public health, and prevent pandemics within just ten years. Since the release of this report, the pandemic continues to cause devastation throughout the United States and the world. Likewise, the risk of an accidental or deliberate release of even deadlier pathogens continues to rise. The past year has only emboldened the idea that we cannot let a pandemic like the one we are facing, or something worse, ever happen again. On December 8, 2021, we convened an in-person meeting of the Commission, The Athena Agenda: Executing The Apollo Program for Biodefense, to provide a better understanding of ongoing federal efforts to implement The Apollo Program for Biodefense, the role of the private sector in implementing The Apollo Program for Biodefense, how the public and private sectors can fully implement The Apollo Program for Biodefense within ten years.
Saving Sisyphus: Course Corrections for National Biodetection
20-01-2022
Saving Sisyphus: Course Corrections for National Biodetection
In its 2015 report, A National Blueprint for Biodefense: Leadership and Major Reform Needed to Optimize Efforts, the Commission addressed inadequacies of BioWatch, the Department of Homeland Security environmental biodetection program. Established in 2003, the federal government intended for BioWatch to provide early warning of biological attacks on major metropolitan areas. However, after nearly two decades of operation, the system is ineffective. There is little evidence that the system effectively detects pathogens of interest, and even if it did, pathogen detection turnaround time is too slow for the government to effectively respond to any actual biological attack. If the federal government continues to spend more taxpayer money on next generation biodetection systems, a reassessment of current efforts is necessary. A new report by the Commission – Saving Sisyphus: Advanced Biodetection for the 21st Century – details specific actions that must be taken by Congress and the Biden Administration before another devastating attack occurs. On November 2, 2021, the Commission held an in-person meeting, Saving Sisyphus: Course Corrections for National Biodetection, to provide a better understanding of challenges facing federal biodetection programs, public and private advancements in environmental biodetection technology, and mission requirements for 21st Century biodetection capabilities.
Biologia et Machina: Cyberbiosecurity for Today's Hybrid Evolution
22-06-2021
Biologia et Machina: Cyberbiosecurity for Today's Hybrid Evolution
NOTE: This event was prerecorded on June 15, 2021. In its 2015 report, A National Blueprint for Biodefense: Leadership and Major Reform Needed to Optimize Efforts, the Commission identified the need to safeguard pathogen and advanced biotechnology information against cyber-attacks and illicit access. Due to the increasing convergence of cyber and biological sciences, in September 2019, the Commission addressed cyberbiosecurity at its public meeting, Cyberbio Convergence: Characterizing the Multiplicative Threat. Building on that earlier work, the Commission believes it is imperative to continually evaluate these threats and vulnerabilities to keep pace with these two domains as their convergence accelerates. On June 15, 2021, the Commission held and recorded Biologia et Machina: Cyberbiosecurity for Today’s Hybrid Evolution, a virtual meeting of the Commission to provide a better understanding of current and future cyberbiosecurity threats and vulnerabilities, opportunities and solutions to address these threats, and the role of the federal government in securing the future. Please visit the event page for more details, including a list of the speakers: https://biodefensecommission.org/events/biologia-et-machina-cyberbiosecurity-for-todays-hybrid-evolution/
Holding the Line on Biodefense: Supporting First Response to Large-Scale Biological Events
03-05-2021
Holding the Line on Biodefense: Supporting First Response to Large-Scale Biological Events
On March 23, 2021, we premiered a virtual meeting of the Commission to further explore the of the first responder community and how the federal government can better support non-federal response to future biological incidents. The Commission’s 2018 report, Holding the Line on Biodefense: State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Reinforcements Needed, focused on federal assistance to state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments in addressing large-scale biological events. Police, fire, emergency medical services, hazmat and other first responders are the backbone of SLTT efforts to react to the biological threat. First responders must also continue serving their communities while addressing the threat. However, the federal government has left the nation’s first responders ill-equipped and underinformed when addressing events like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. First responders require resources and information so that they can effectively manage the biological threat, keep the citizenry informed, and make decisions about using medical countermeasures themselves. More information about this meeting, including a full agenda, is available here.
The Biological Event Horizon: No Return or Total Resilience
03-05-2021
The Biological Event Horizon: No Return or Total Resilience
On September 24, 2020, we premiered a virtual meeting of the Commission to address emerging biological threats and innovative science and technology solutions to address them. The ongoing novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is revealing major gaps in national readiness to prepare for, respond to, and recover from biological threats. Decision makers must consider enhancements to policies and programs to better defend against the next biological threat as the Nation continues to respond to the crisis. COVID-19 will not be the last biological threat we face and it likely will not be the worst as the risk of natural and human-generated threats continues to increase with time. Innovative science and technology solutions exist or are in development that could change the game for biodefense. More information about this meeting, including a full agenda, is available here.
COVID Complexities: Converging Threats, Fractured Resources
03-05-2021
COVID Complexities: Converging Threats, Fractured Resources
On July 21, 2020, the Commission premiered   a virtual meeting to help us better understand the potential for COVID-19’s reemergence, the country’s efforts to track the spread of the disease, and national readiness to address future biological threats. More information about this meeting, including a full agenda, is available here.
COVID-19: Forewarned, But Not Forearmed
03-05-2021
COVID-19: Forewarned, But Not Forearmed
On May 8, 2020, we premiered a virtual meeting of the Commission to better understand the ongoing response to novel coronavirus 2019, national readiness to address possible large-scale spread of the disease in the United States and throughout the world, and implications for improving preparedness for the next biological threat. More information about this meeting, including a full agenda, is available here.
Testimony - Are We Prepared? Protecting the U.S. from Global Pandemics
03-05-2021
Testimony - Are We Prepared? Protecting the U.S. from Global Pandemics
On Wednesday, February 12th, U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a roundtable hearing titled, “Are we Prepared? Protecting the U.S. from Global Pandemics.” The purpose of this roundtable was to examine the nation’s level of preparedness against current and future pandemic threats, particularly in the context of the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China. The event featured the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, as a witness. More information about this event is available here.
Containing the Coronavirus: Challenges to Thwarting the Outbreak
03-05-2021
Containing the Coronavirus: Challenges to Thwarting the Outbreak
On Monday, February 10th, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense and Hudson Institute hosted a panel discussion on the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and how the United States can respond to the growing outbreak effectively.  More information about this meeting is available here.
Too Great a Thing to Leave Undone: Defense of Agriculture
03-05-2021
Too Great a Thing to Leave Undone: Defense of Agriculture
On November 5, 2019, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense convened a meeting to inform its continuing assessment of the biological threat, specific vulnerabilities, and overwhelming consequences to agricultural producers.  Speakers shared their perspectives, experiences, challenges, and recommended solutions with regard to agrodefense, and talked about public and private sector responsibilities to protect U.S. agriculture. More information about this meeting, including a full agenda, is available here.