Pentagon's Biodefense Review: Safeguarding the US Against Chinese and Russian Biothreats

The Pentagon's biodefense review highlights the urgent need for the US military to address the growing threat of bioweapons and catastrophic events, including pandemics. The review singles out China as the key long-term threat, expressing doubts about Beijing's compliance with international rules on biowarfare and raising concerns over its integration of civilian biological research programs into the military. The report also identifies Russia, North Korea, Iran, and violent extremist organizations as persistent threats. The review calls for a more coordinated and unified approach within the Defense Department to address the biosecurity threat, emphasizing the need for improved intelligence collection, biosurveillance, and early-warning analysis.