Key U.S. Initiatives for Addressing Biological Threats

The briefing argues that the U.S. Department of State must expand its role in addressing biological threats, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of synthetic biology. It recommends creating tailored multilateral cooperation mechanisms, such as an epidemic early warning center, and leveraging AI and big data for better pathogen attribution and treaty verification. The authors also call for the appointment of a special envoy for biorisks and an increase in scientific expertise within the diplomatic corps to manage the dual-use dilemma of life sciences and counter the suspected biological weapons capabilities of nations like Russia, China, and North Korea.

• The U.S. faces a challenging security landscape where nations including Russia, China, and North Korea are suspected of having biological weapons capabilities and engaging in "gray-zone warfare," which involves intense competition short of conventional war.
• The Department of State should pursue "minilateral" or ad hoc cooperation mechanisms to complement the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), specifically targeting the proposed International Agency for Biological Safety (IABS) from Kazakhstan or establishing a new institution featuring an "epidemic early warning center" and "rapid response teams."
• Technological advances in DNA sequencing, big data, and AI—such as DeepMind's AlphaFold—can improve the detection, attribution, and verification of biological weapons by providing faster understanding of a sequence's nature and enhancing off-site verification through commercial DNA synthesis screening.
• There is a need for a global pathogen early warning system that exceeds current fragmented biosurveillance to identify engineered or natural threats in real time, requiring significant diplomacy to establish the necessary trust for international data-sharing.
• To address the complexity of biorisks, the U.S. should appoint a highly-empowered special envoy to lead on pandemic prevention and biotechnology cooperation, and increase the number of biosecurity experts within the State Department and its embassies.

APA

duPont, J., Lim, Y.-B., Parthemore, C., & Titus, A. (2021). Key U.S. Initiatives for Addressing Biological Threats. The Council on Strategic Risks. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Key-U.S.-Initiatives-for-Addressing-Biological-Threats-Part-4_The-Department-of-State_BRIEFER-24_2021_08_23.pdf

Chicago

duPont, Jackson, Yong-Bee Lim, Christine Parthemore, and Alexander Titus. Key U.S. Initiatives for Addressing Biological Threats. The Council on Strategic Risks, 2021. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Key-U.S.-Initiatives-for-Addressing-Biological-Threats-Part-4_The-Department-of-State_BRIEFER-24_2021_08_23.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=duPont |first1=Jackson |last2=Lim |first2=Yong-Bee |last3=Parthemore |first3=Christine |last4=Titus |first4=Alexander |title=Key U.S. Initiatives for Addressing Biological Threats |publisher=The Council on Strategic Risks |date=23 August 2021 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Key-U.S.-Initiatives-for-Addressing-Biological-Threats-Part-4_The-Department-of-State_BRIEFER-24_2021_08_23.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dupont2021key, author = {duPont, Jackson and Lim, Yong-Bee and Parthemore, Christine and Titus, Alexander}, title = {{Key U.S. Initiatives for Addressing Biological Threats}}, institution = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2021}, month = aug, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Key-U.S.-Initiatives-for-Addressing-Biological-Threats-Part-4_The-Department-of-State_BRIEFER-24_2021_08_23.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }