By José Carlos Palma*
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the world the devastating consequences of a biological attack. In response, the Pentagon has taken steps to improve its biodefense posture. However, there are still some concerns about its readiness to confront future biological threats.
The Biodefense Posture Review, released in February 2023, identified a number of areas where the Pentagon needs to improve, including:
- Detecting and responding to biological threats: The Pentagon needs to improve its ability to detect and respond to biological threats, both natural and deliberate. This includes improving its surveillance and monitoring capabilities, as well as its ability to deploy medical teams and supplies quickly.
- Protecting its personnel and facilities: The Pentagon needs to better protect its personnel and facilities from biological threats. This includes improving its biosafety and biosecurity measures, as well as its ability to develop and deploy vaccines and treatments.
- Building partnerships: The Pentagon needs to build partnerships with other countries and organizations to address biological threats. This includes sharing information and expertise, and developing joint response plans.
The Pentagon has also requested over $1 billion in its FY2024 budget proposal to fund capabilities and readiness to face chemical and biological threats.
These are all important steps, but there are still some concerns about the Pentagon’s readiness to confront biological threats. These concerns include:
- The pace of change in the biological threat landscape: The biological threat landscape is constantly evolving, and the Pentagon may not be able to keep up with the pace of change.
- The lack of a single, integrated biodefense system: The Pentagon’s biodefense efforts are fragmented across multiple agencies and programs. This makes it difficult to coordinate and prioritize efforts.
- The lack of funding: The Pentagon has not always received the funding it needs to implement its biodefense plans.
The Pentagon is taking steps to address these concerns, but it is too early to say whether they will be enough. The next few years will be critical in determining whether the Pentagon is truly ready to confront biological threats.
In addition to the concerns mentioned above, there are also some other challenges that the Pentagon faces in improving its biodefense posture. These challenges include:
- The difficulty of developing effective vaccines and treatments for new and emerging biological threats.
- The a need to balance biodefense with other national security priorities, such as nuclear deterrence and counterterrorism.
- The public’s perception of biological threats can be influenced by factors such as the media and Hollywood.
Despite these challenges, the Pentagon is committed to improving its biodefense posture. The Biodefense Posture Review is a significant step in the right direction, and the Pentagon is investing significant resources in biodefense. However, it is important to remember that biodefense is an ongoing process, and the Pentagon will need to continue to adapt to the ever-changing threat landscape.
The next few years will be critical in determining whether the Pentagon is truly ready to confront biological threats. The success of the Pentagon’s biodefense efforts will depend on a number of factors, including the pace of change in the biological threat landscape, the level of funding for biodefense programs, and the ability of the Pentagon to coordinate and prioritize its biodefense efforts. However, if the Pentagon is able to address these challenges, it will be well-positioned to protect the United States from biological threats.
* Expert in international relations, such as foreign policy, international trade, domestic security, international security, developing nations, domestic security, intelligence, IT Consultant, world history, political consultant, and military analysis.