Questions the U.S. Senate Should Ask Key Nominees on Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Threats

The Council on Strategic Risks suggests a series of questions for U.S. Senate confirmation hearings for Jill Hruby (nominated as Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and Administrator of the NNSA) and Heidi Shyu (nominated as Under Secretary for Research and Engineering at the DoD). The proposed questions focus on enhancing biotechnology leadership, improving interagency cooperation for biological threats, ensuring civilian oversight of nuclear weapons, and implementing safety recommendations at National Labs.

• The Council on Strategic Risks argues that the U.S. faces heightened nuclear, chemical, and biological (NCB) threats, noting that Russia, Syria, and North Korea have used chemical weapons for assassinations and attacks on their own citizens.
• For nominee Heidi Shyu, the document emphasizes the need for the Department of Defense (DoD) to lead in biotechnology and leverage private sector and academic innovation for early detection, warning, and medical countermeasures against biothreats.
• The document recommends that the DoD establish a program of activities, such as an annual exercise program, to improve interagency capabilities for developing countermeasures against emerging biological threats.
• For nominee Jill Hruby, the document suggests questions regarding civilian oversight of the military in the nuclear weapons enterprise and the implementation of safety recommendations from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.
• The document asserts that the Department of Energy (DOE) Labs possess critical capabilities for countering biological threats that have been historically under-appreciated.

APA

The Council on Strategic Risks (2021). Questions the U.S. Senate Should Ask Key Nominees on Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Threats. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2021/05/24/questions-the-u-s-senate-should-ask-key-nominees-on-nuclear-chemical-and-biological-threats/

Chicago

The Council on Strategic Risks. Questions the U.S. Senate Should Ask Key Nominees on Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Threats. 2021. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2021/05/24/questions-the-u-s-senate-should-ask-key-nominees-on-nuclear-chemical-and-biological-threats/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=The Council on Strategic Risks |title=Questions the U.S. Senate Should Ask Key Nominees on Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Threats |date=24 May 2021 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2021/05/24/questions-the-u-s-senate-should-ask-key-nominees-on-nuclear-chemical-and-biological-threats/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{thecouncilonstrategicrisks2021questions, author = {{The Council on Strategic Risks}}, title = {{Questions the U.S. Senate Should Ask Key Nominees on Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Threats}}, publisher = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2021/05/24/questions-the-u-s-senate-should-ask-key-nominees-on-nuclear-chemical-and-biological-threats/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }