Deborah Rosenblum, assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical and biological defense programs, said the Department of Defense should put an integrated focus on addressing emerging biological threats posed by near-peer competitors, pandemics and non-state actors, DOD News reported Wednesday.
“Biodefense is no longer something that’s the purview of just specialized units who have traditionally been worried about these threats,” Rosenblum said at a Center for Strategic and International Studies-hosted event.
She noted that biothreats have an impact on military readiness and resilience and that a combat credible force is needed to achieve integrated deterrence.
“And to be combat credible, the whole joint force must be capable of fighting through biothreats and being resilient,” Rosenblum added.
Rosenblum’s remarks came a week after DOD released the Biodefense Posture Review, which presents an assessment of the biological threat landscape and offers key reforms aimed at strengthening the U.S. military’s biodefense posture over the next decade.
