The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is modernizing its approach for developing medical countermeasures to protect Warfighters from novel biological agents.
This is made clear in a new document, “Approach for Research, Development, and Acquisition of Medical Countermeasures and Test Products,” which was recently published by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Chemical and Biological Defense. This office oversees the DoD’s Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP). The CBDP’s mission is to anticipate future threats and deliver capabilities that enable the Joint Force to fight and win in CB-contested environments.
The CBDP has always prioritized medical countermeasures, which consist of vaccines, medical tests, and drugs. “No matter how good our boots, suits, gloves, and masks perform, there’s always going to be the risk that our warfighters don’t necessarily have their equipment on when they need it. So having medical countermeasures as an added layer for protection makes sense,” Dr. Kevin Wingerd, CBDP’s Medical Director, said.
What has changed is the nature of the threat.