Biodefense

GAO recommends ways to improve implementation of National Biodefense Strategy

The United States is struggling to implement a National Biodefense Strategy, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review, but there are additional efforts that could make the strategy more effective.

GAO first recommended that the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary should direct the existing Biodefense Coordination Team to create a plan with new management practices, reinforce collaboration and prevent the many early challenges noted in its report from becoming institutionalized. Second, the HHS Secretary should direct this team to document guidance and methods for analyzing any data collected from various agencies, including nonfederal resources. Third, they should establish a resource plan for staffing, supporting and sustaining biodefense efforts and, lastly, they should also document agreed-upon processes, roles, and responsibilities for establishing and enforcing enterprise-wide decisions.

The National Biodefense Strategy, established in 2018, laid out the nation’s plan to address diseases and biological weapons alike, particularly through joint agency and private sector efforts. In actuality, GAO noted, the strategy offers no clear processes, roles, or responsibilities for joint decision making. Nothing guides data analysis or resource use, and nonfederal capabilities are not even properly accounted for, despite them being a sizable chunk of the nation’s capabilities.