RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE RAISES THE SPECTER OF BIOLOGICAL ATTACK 

Former  Senator Joe Lieberman and Governor Tom Ridge, co-chairs of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, published an OpEd in the New York Daily News  about the rising threat of biological warfare, noting that, “Russian use of biological weapons against Ukraine and other countries it views as enemies is a realistic threat. They have the capacity and, as their brutal war in Ukraine has shown, they also have the intention to act without limits to terrorize, destroy and conquer their targets.”   

The Commission also held a public meeting yesterday to address current natural, accidental, and intentional biological threats to the United States and the world. This meeting was the first in a series to inform and refresh the Commission’s 2015 foundational report, A National Blueprint for Biodefense. You can view a recording of “The Biological Threat Expanse: Current and Future Challenges to National Biodefense” here.