A handbook for ending catastrophic biological risks: How the United States can prevent future pandemics and deter biological weapons

The global devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the urgent need to improve U.S. national strategy and responses to biological threats. The pandemic, which continues in force as of this writing, has shown that infectious disease threats can take millions of lives, cost trillions of dollars, imperil national security, and strain geopolitical relations in an already complex and tense global security landscape. Moreover, as terrible as the COVID-19 pandemic has been, the United States and the world could face even more destructive biological threats in the coming years. It is unacceptable to allow this situation to continue, especially given the incredible knowledge and technology bases housed across the U.S. government, academia, and the private sector. This report, A Handbook for Ending Catastrophic Biological Risks: How the United States Can Deter Biological Weapons and Prevent Future Pandemics, offers a better path. While we recognize the need for significant improvements in public health, this report is scoped to efforts focused on addressing catastrophic biological risks - those that may produce mass casualty events or by other mechanisms significantly change the trajectory of humanity. It is also written primarily through the lens of improving U.S. government policies, programs, and investments, while recognizing that most progress toward addressing catastrophic biological risks will stem from public-private cooperation and a shared international vision. This Executive Summary proceeds with a brief overview of the shifts in U.S. national strategy the report recommends, followed by examples of how that strategy should be enacted through national plans, programs, and investments