Bolstering US Biodefense: Recommendations for the New Administration

The Council on Strategic Risks outlines a strategic roadmap for the US government to bolster biodefense, focusing on a 'deterrence by denial' framework. The recommendations are divided into immediate actions for the first month, the first 100 days, and the first year, emphasizing the need for expert leadership, increased budgetary investment, and the integration of AI safety. Key priorities include updating the National Biodefense Strategy, enhancing pathogen early warning systems, and strengthening international partnerships to counter biological weapons programs in countries such as North Korea and Russia.

• The US faces biological threats from several nations: North Korea and Russia are assessed to have "active and illicit biological weapons programs", while Iran and the People’s Republic of China engage in activities that "raise concerns of inappropriate use", including the development of biological weapons capabilities.
• The Council on Strategic Risks recommends a significant budgetary commitment of "$10 billion for defense-based investments plus $10 billion for health security per fiscal year for ten years", referred to as "10 plus 10 over 10".
• The administration is advised to adopt a "deterrence by denial" strategy in its updated National Biodefense Strategy, which involves deploying capabilities to "prevent, detect, characterize, and respond rapidly and effectively to a biological incident" to ensure adversaries cannot gain a strategic benefit from using biological weapons.
• Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) create a dual-use risk, necessitating the establishment of safety evaluations and guardrails for "general-purpose AI models" and the resourcing of the National Institute of Science & Technology Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute to oversee "AI-enabled Biological Design Tools (BDTs)".
• To improve biosecurity, the document recommends establishing a "know-your-customer entity for nucleic acid synthesis screening" and updating export controls to prevent US exports from being "misused or leveraged against US interests".
• The report suggests structural government reforms, including the potential creation of a "single, independent bioresponsibility entity" to manage biological risks more flexibly.
• International cooperation is highlighted as essential, specifically through the Biological Weapons Convention’s tenth Review Conference in 2026 and partnerships with "BWC-compliant nations" to counter adversary disinformation.

APA

The Council on Strategic Risks (2025). Bolstering US Biodefense: Recommendations for the New Administration. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/02/04/bolstering-us-biodefense-recommendations-for-the-new-administration/

Chicago

The Council on Strategic Risks. Bolstering US Biodefense: Recommendations for the New Administration. 2025. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/02/04/bolstering-us-biodefense-recommendations-for-the-new-administration/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=The Council on Strategic Risks |title=Bolstering US Biodefense: Recommendations for the New Administration |date=4 February 2025 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/02/04/bolstering-us-biodefense-recommendations-for-the-new-administration/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{thecouncilonstrategicrisks2025bolstering, author = {{The Council on Strategic Risks}}, title = {{Bolstering US Biodefense: Recommendations for the New Administration}}, publisher = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/02/04/bolstering-us-biodefense-recommendations-for-the-new-administration/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }