Chemical and Biological Defense - Observations on Nonmedical Chemical and Biological R&D Programs

摘要

Each of the federally funded programs conducting nonmedical research and development on threats from chemical and biological agents has its own mission objective. However, we found many similarities among these programs in terms of the research and development activities they engage in, the threats they intend to address, the types of capabilities they seek to develop, the technologies they pursue in developing those capabilities, and the organizations they use to conduct the work. The military and civilian user communities are concerned about many of the same chemical and biological substances (such as nerve agents) and possible perpetrators (such as foreign terrorists). In addition, we found that these programs are seeking to develop many of the same capabilities, such as detection and identification of biological agents. Furthermore, the types of technologies (such as mass spectroscopy) they pursue to achieve those capabilities may overlap. Finally, these programs may contract with the same groups of laboratories to perform research and development work. Our testimony identifies similarities among nonmedical research and development programs and explains how coordination mechanisms may ineffectively address potential duplication, research gaps, and opportunities for collaboration.