“Battle Rattle” – Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense Issues New Report with Recommendations to Safeguard the Nation’s Warfighters

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 1, 2025) – In an era marked by increasing frequency, complexity and severity of the biological threat, the Department of Defense (DOD) must safeguard the Nation and its warfighters. In its new report released today, Battle Rattle: Fast Movers for Military Biodefense, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense provides 10 high priority actionable recommendations that the Administration and Congress can take to strengthen military biodefense now.

Naturally occurring and accidentally released threats, biological weapons programs in North Korea and Russia, and quickly advancing potential biological threats from countries like China and Iran, all necessitate a robust and well-funded approach covering the full spectrum of military biodefense requirements. Department of Defense biodefense activities must protect military personnel and their families from biological threats.

“We can and must reduce biological risk to our military immediately,” said Commission Co-Chair and our Nation’s first Secretary of Homeland Security, Governor Tom Ridge. “As 21^st Century biological threats bear down on the Nation, policymakers must further strengthen military biodefense and increase coordination within the DOD and with civilian partners. Military readiness and national security depend on them. By implementing the recommendations from this report, we can ensure our warfighters have the battle rattle they need to fight and win against biological threats.”

According to the Commission’s newly released plan, fortifying the DOD biodefense posture requires:

1. Developing in-depth understanding of the biological threats that warfighters may be forced to confront;
2. Clarifying and coordinating biodefense roles and responsibilities;
3. Developing needed biodefense capabilities in relatively short order; and
4. Ensuring that the Department’s efforts to defend against biological threats align with the National Defense Strategy and other national strategies.

“The extensive capabilities of the Department of Defense are also crucial in support of civilian authorities during biological events, especially those affecting national security,” said Commission Co-

Chair and former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala. “The national response to COVID-19 required the Department’s logistics capabilities to distribute needed equipment early in the pandemic, and DOD contracting authorities and leadership proved vital to the success of Operation Warp Speed to deliver lifesaving vaccines. We know that addressing future biological events will require military resources and logistics. This report and its recommendations are a framework for ensuring our warfighters remain up to the task.”

To download and read the full Battle Rattle report, including the Commission’s 10 specific recommendations, click here.

About the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense

The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense was established in 2014 to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the state of U.S. biodefense efforts, and to issue recommendations to foster change. The Commission’s 2024 National Blueprint for Biodefense, identified capability gaps and recommended changes to U.S. policy and law to strengthen national biodefense while optimizing resource investments. Other Commission publications have addressed critical needs for an Apollo Program for Biodefense, risk reduction, biodetection, agrodefense, budget reform, diagnostics, biodefense of critical infrastructure, smallpox and orthopoxvirus readiness, and state, local, tribal and territorial response capabilities. In 2018 and 2022, the White House released the National Biodefense Strategy, and in 2022 and 2023, OMB released the biodefense budget crosscut, top recommendations from the Blueprint. In 2021 the White House released the American Pandemic Preparedness Plan and subsequently produced executive orders and national security memoranda, taking up recommendations from the Commission’s Apollo Program and Athena Agenda reports. The Commission continues to address biodefense challenges and urge reform. Former Secretary of Homeland Security Governor Tom Ridge and former Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala co-chair the Commission.