The updated plan focuses on rapid defense capabilities and global partnerships amid evolving security challenges.
The Department of Defense (DoD) released the 2024 Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP) Enterprise Strategy, replacing its 2020 predecessor. Aligned with the 2022 National Defense Strategy, the plan emphasizes delivering chemical and biological defense capabilities rapidly and at scale to counter threats from strategic competitors, particularly China and Russia.
The strategy integrates with other defense initiatives, such as the 2023 Strategy for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction and the Biodefense Posture Review, while strengthening partnerships with international allies to deter and respond to advanced threats effectively.
The strategy outlines four focus areas: developing materials that enhance decision-making and restore combat readiness, leveraging innovative technologies for faster deployment, positioning the CBDP for operational relevance at scale, and expanding collaboration with interagency, international, industry, and academic partners.
“Strategic competition and rapid technological changes are making chemical and biological threats harder to defend against and increasingly attractive to adversaries,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Chemical and Biological Defense Ian Watson. “This strategy creates the urgency and change necessary to continue to outpace our adversaries and the threat.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Deputy Assistant Secretary Watson to receive God’s guidance as he heads the Office of Chemical and Biological Defense.
- For Secretary Austin and Pentagon officials as they consider the threats of biological and chemical weapons.
Sources: Department of Defense
