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Bioterrorism

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The threat of biological weapons poses unique challenges for government officials charged with devising immediate and longer-term response plans. RAND has developed exercises to train and evaluate the preparedness of state and local public health agencies to respond to bioterrorism. RAND researchers have also examined the longer-term psychological consequences of bioterrorism and created guidelines to improve individual preparedness for chemical, radiological, nuclear, and biological attacks.

Report
Developing Navy Capability to Recover Forces in Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Hazard Environments
How do you recover and decontaminate amphibious forces if they are attacked with chemical, biological, or radiological weapons while ashore?
Jan 28, 2014
Commentary
Countering Bioterror
While advances in biotechnology have brought a wide range of benefits, biological weapons are now within the reach of many rogue nations and possibly some terrorist groups. Reports show that the U.S. is ill prepared to address this threat.
Jan 18, 2016

Explore Bioterrorism

Blog
Overturning Roe, a New Mental Health Hotline, Russia: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on how repealing Roe v. Wade could affect women in the military, whether America is prepared to launch a new emergency mental health hotline, Russia's war in Ukraine, and more.
Jul 1, 2022
Report
Implications of the Pandemic for Terrorist Interest in Biological Weapons
Some policymakers and analysts have expressed concern that weaknesses in responses to the COVID-19 pandemic will motivate terrorists to seek biological weapons. While the prospect of the Islamic State and al-Qaeda pursuing biological weapons is not zero, it is unlikely, given the difficulties involved and the availability of simpler alternatives.
May 31, 2022
Commentary
Could the Bioweapons Treaty Be Another Tool for Addressing Pandemics?
What might governments do to reduce the risk of future large-scale biological attacks or naturally occurring pandemics? Perhaps now is the right time to revisit the 46-year-old Biological Weapons Convention treaty and make it a better tool against future biological threats.
Mar 12, 2021
Testimony
The Strategic National Stockpile and COVID-19: Rethinking the Stockpile: Addendum
Document submitted August 21, 2020, as an addendum to testimony before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on June 24, 2020.
Aug 24, 2020
Multimedia
Rethinking the Role of the Strategic National Stockpile
An overview of testimony by Daniel M. Gerstein presented before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on June 24, 2020.
Jun 29, 2020
Testimony
The Strategic National Stockpile and COVID-19
The United States maintains a stockpile of drugs, vaccines, and other medical supplies to provide for the nation's emergency health security. COVID-19 has highlighted the need to update current stockpiling capabilities to help prepare for future biological events, including pandemics.
Jun 24, 2020
Journal Article
Continuity of Operations Plan Improvement Tool for Public Health Laboratories
Public health laboratories are in various stages of development of their continuity of operations plan (COOP). The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) contracted with RAND to develop and pilot test a COOP tabletop exercise.
Mar 12, 2020
Report
Environmental Biodetection and Human Biosurveillance Research and Development for National Security: Priorities for the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate
This report examines the Department of Homeland Security's chemical and biological defense research and development portfolio to identify priorities for future investments to effectively address biological threats.
Nov 28, 2018
Commentary
Achieving the Trump Administration's National Biodefense Strategy
The Trump administration recently published its National Biodefense Strategy, which says that managing the risk of biological threats is in the “vital interest” of the United States, however they might present. The document provides a solid foundation, but more may be required to fully realize its goals and objectives.
Oct 2, 2018
Testimony
Federal Research and Development for Agricultural Biodefense: Addendum
Document submitted December 5, 2017, as an addendum to testimony presented before the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Subcommittee on Research and Technology on November 2, 2017.
Dec 6, 2017
Testimony
Agriculture Security in America
The United States has made progress in developing systems to safeguard the nation's agriculture. But threats persist because of socioeconomic, environmental, and ecological factors.
Nov 2, 2017
Multimedia
Federal Research and Development for Agricultural Biodefense
An overview of testimony by Daniel Gerstein presented before the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Subcommittee on Research and Technology on November 2, 2017.
Nov 2, 2017
Commentary
A Countering Bioterrorism Facility Worth a Second Look
President Trump's proposed budget would close a laboratory dedicated to countering bioterrorism and providing the science behind bioterrorism response and recovery. Policymakers should assess whether the lab's capabilities are worth the price when weighed against the potential cost of a bioterror attack.
Jun 7, 2017
Commentary
Can the Bioweapons Convention Survive Crispr?
Crispr is a biotechnology that's making genetic editing easier, cheaper, and far more accessible, but it has also been called a major security threat. Do such advances in biotechnology make the bioweapons convention obsolete?
Jul 29, 2016
Commentary
The U.S. Needs to Exercise Leadership at the Biological Weapons Convention
The world is one rogue microbiologist away from a potentially devastating biological attack. In this new, evolving environment, the United States should establish its goals and objectives and build coalitions to help meet them.
Dec 28, 2015
Commentary
Ebola: The Faceless National Security Threat
The rapid, uncontrolled spread of aggressive diseases such as Ebola is often a matter of national security. U.S. intelligence professionals must establish relevant information collection and dissemination mechanisms to deal with such contingencies.
Sep 10, 2014
Commentary
Tuberculosis Outbreak in LA Reminds Us of Importance of 'Bread and Butter' Public Health Capabilities
In this fiscally uncertain climate, we should continue to leverage the dual-use benefit of bioterrorism investments by building and maintaining those routine (but essential) public health capabilities that can also be used in response to a variety of public health emergencies.
Mar 12, 2013
Commentary
Far More U.S. Health Security Research Effort Aimed at Bioterrorism than Natural Disasters
Given the broad range of threats facing the United States, including those related to extreme weather, it is imperative that monies invested in enhancing health security be well spent, writes Shoshana Shelton.
Dec 3, 2012
News Release
Nation's Health Security Research Is Not Balanced Enough to Meet Broad Safety Goals
Federal support for health security research is heavily weighted toward preparing for bioterrorism and other biological threats, providing significantly less funding for challenges such as monster storms or attacks with conventional bombs.
Dec 3, 2012

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RAND Topic:
Bioterrorism

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Stuart S. Olmsted

Director of Operations, Research and Analysis

Stuart Olmsted is director of operations for research and analysis and a senior natural scientist at the RAND Corporation. He works on science and technology policy issues in education and health. Olmsted's recent research includes measuring laboratory capacity to respond to bioterrorism attacks…
Lisa Bernard

Senior Research Editor

Lisa "Mitch" Bernard (she/her) is a senior research editor at the RAND Corporation. She also serves as lead division editor for the RAND Homeland Security Research Division, and as lead legal-citation editor. Before joining RAND in 2005, she was a freelance writer, editor, and designer and had…

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