The Pentagon can revolutionize biodefense for 2% of its proposed spending increase

The Council on Strategic Risks proposes that the US government invest $10 billion annually over 10 years in biodefense, noting that the FY26 request of $4.02 billion is insufficient given threats from Russia, North Korea, China, and Iran. The author suggests that 2% of the proposed $500 billion defense spending increase could fund critical enhancements in wastewater surveillance, medical countermeasure discovery via supercomputing, biomanufacturing, and the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).

• The author advocates for a '10+10 over 10' framework, which involves national security agencies investing $10 billion annually for 10 years in biodefense, matched by equivalent investments in public and global health security.
• The US Pentagon's FY26 biodefense budget request is $4.02 billion, representing a decrease of $593 million compared to actual FY24 spending.
• The US government identifies Russia and North Korea as maintaining significant biological weapons programs, while expressing concerns regarding activities in China and Iran; Russia's use of chemical agents in Ukraine is cited as a specific risk factor for potential biological attacks.
• Proposed biodefense priorities include expanding wastewater surveillance to every military base, leveraging supercomputing for medical countermeasures, advancing biomanufacturing, increasing PPE stockpiles, and expanding exercises with allies regarding weapons of mass destruction.
• The author suggests that the US could increase the annual budget of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Implementation Support Unit fivefold for $10 million per year to prevent the development or use of biological weapons.

APA

The Council on Strategic Risks (2026). The Pentagon can revolutionize biodefense for 2% of its proposed spending increase. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2026/03/02/the-pentagon-can-revolutionize-biodefense-for-2-of-its-proposed-spending-increase/

Chicago

The Council on Strategic Risks. The Pentagon can revolutionize biodefense for 2% of its proposed spending increase. 2026. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2026/03/02/the-pentagon-can-revolutionize-biodefense-for-2-of-its-proposed-spending-increase/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=The Council on Strategic Risks |title=The Pentagon can revolutionize biodefense for 2% of its proposed spending increase |date=2 March 2026 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2026/03/02/the-pentagon-can-revolutionize-biodefense-for-2-of-its-proposed-spending-increase/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{thecouncilonstrategicrisks2026pentagon, author = {{The Council on Strategic Risks}}, title = {{The Pentagon can revolutionize biodefense for 2\% of its proposed spending increase}}, publisher = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2026/03/02/the-pentagon-can-revolutionize-biodefense-for-2-of-its-proposed-spending-increase/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }