Biocrisis: Defining Biological Threats in U.S. Policy

This book examines the recent intersection of national security and public health regarding biological threats to the U.S. populace and proposes improvements to the executive and legislative development of U.S. policy addressing biological threat mitigation.

Over the last 20 years, the national security community has engaged with disease-related issues that have traditionally been the scope of public health agencies. The federal government’s response has been to create a single national biodefense strategy, which has been largely ineffective in improving conditions due to poor terminology, a lack of leadership, and a failure to assess government programs.

Applying a public policy framework, Albert J. Mauroni examines how the government addresses biological threats-including disease prevention, bioterrorism response, military biodefense, biosurety, and agricultural biosecurity and food safety. He proposes a new approach to countering biological threats, arguing that lead agencies should focus on implementing discrete portfolios with annual assessments against clear and achievable objectives.

Examines each of the five biological threat sectors and identifies who develops and executes the policy for those sectors, what funding they receive, how each policy area’s objectives are implemented, what congressional committees are involved, and who advocates for them

Covers policy evolution since the beginning of the 21st century and identifies the major milestones in biological threat mitigation

Unveils the real issues behind public health challenges, such as funding for disease prevention programs

Clarifies commonly misunderstood terminology, such as health security, biosecurity, and biodefense