US Army Unveils New Biodefense Strategy to 2035

The US Army announced a new biodefense strategy designed to ensure the force can fight effectively in a biologically contested environment. The plan, signed by former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, outlines five lines of effort to be implemented by 2035, according to officials from the Army's Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Agency (USANCA).

Lt. Col. Dave Kingery, the biological defense integrator, said the strategy addresses naturally occurring threats like COVID-19, accidental pathogen leaks, and deliberate biological weapons from adversaries. The goal is to prevent any health event from halting the Army's ability to project power and win wars.

Five Lines of Effort

The strategy document details five interconnected lines of effort. The first, "building knowledge," focuses on recruiting and developing subject matter experts and integrating biodefense into training curricula.

The second line, "gaining situational awareness," involves integrating biological sensors and analytical tools into existing platforms to monitor for adversary biological weapon use.

Third is "managing information and communication." This aims to standardize information sharing across the joint force and with allies while using AI tools to counter misinformation.

"Building biodefense readiness" is the fourth line. It shifts the perspective from treating biothreats as purely medical problems to viewing them as operational constraints. This involves providing protective and decontamination equipment.

The final line is "modernizing biodefense." It calls for faster acquisition processes use AI and synthetic biology, and updating doctrine to fill gaps.

The Army will prioritize lines three and five through 2028 to create a foundational architecture. Lines one and two are slated for 2028-2031, with a focus on line four from 2031-2035.

Drivers for the New Plan

Officials told reporters at a media event there was no single catalyst for the new strategy. Allison Tamasi, chief of USANCA's survivability and effects analysis division, cited lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall threat picture, and advancements in precision medicine that could be turned against the US.

Kingery added that exercises in the Pacific and on the US homeland informed the plan, though he gave no specifics. The strategy builds upon a 2021 version. Tamasi said the key difference is that the old plan focused on establishing capabilities within specific biology or chemistry shops, while the new one provides guidance for the entire Army.

"It's no longer where if you see a group of dead wildlife, you just leave it to the surgeon team." Tamasi said.

Col. Dennis Rufolo, deputy director for Force Health Protection, echoed that the responsibility now extends to intelligence and protection professionals, not only biologists or surgeons.

Technological Advances Enabling the Strategy

Rufolo highlighted how new tools are changing responses. Mobile genetic sequencing devices now allow soldiers in the field to test suspicious samples in about 24 hours. Previously, sending samples to the continental US for analysis took weeks, increasing exposure risk.

He also pointed to the proliferation of artificial intelligence as a major change since the 2021 strategy. The Army is using AI to establish disease baselines-benchmarks for how common and transferable a disease is based on various data sets.

Rufolo explained that data published by other nations can be collected from open sources, translated, and used to set these baselines. This allows the Army to identify concerning increases in disease activity much faster than before. The integration of AI is a cornerstone of the modernization effort moving forward.