Book Description

Since renouncing the development, production, stockpiling, and use of biological weapons in 1969, the Department of Defense (DoD) has invested in militarily relevant biological defense. Also in 1969, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) was created to develop medical defensive countermeasures. Medical biological defensive research has focused mainly on the development of vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics as defensive countermeasures. DoD maintains a network of laboratories and centers dedicated to developing defensive capabilities to protect against biological select agents and toxins (BSATs). Most of these facilities evolved from small specialized laboratories that focused on a particular area of today's modern research and development-performing work that ranges from basic science and technology to supporting systems in biological defense. All laboratories participating in DoD research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) are required to comply with the code of federal regulations and DoD directives, policies, and regulations. These sets of regulations specify safety and security policy, responsibilities, and procedures for service and contract laboratories conducting research and development in support of the DoD biological defense program. In general, biosafety encompasses risk assessment, safe practices, and containment equipment to protect researchers from exposure to infectious agents and facility barrier systems that prevent the release of an agent into the environment to ensure protection of the public health. Biosecurity includes physical security, select agent accountability, and personnel reliability in an effort to prevent unauthorized access to biological select agents and toxins. There is obvious overlap between the two terms. The DoD labs employ an in-depth approach to securing BSATs during operations that require manipulation, storage, or transport of these hazardous materials. Layers of security include physical security of facilities, secured storage equipment, secured transportation of BSATs, surveillance systems, and personnel security processes that assure only the most reliable and skilled personnel have access to the materials necessary to conduct research appropriate to the mission. There are numerous directives and regulations, established by different government agencies that govern biological safety and security (see list of References and Regulations at the end of this report).