The Dangerous Decline in the Department of Defense's Vaccine Program for Infectious Diseases
Abstract
For over 230 years, vaccines advanced by the US military research and development (R&D) community have dramatically reduced the impact of naturally acquired infections, not only in America's armed forces but also in society at large. In recent years, however, the military's vaccine program for infectious diseases has lost considerable emphasis, funding, and mission capability. In the 1990s, with the burgeoning concern for weaponized bioagents in Iraq and North Korea, Congress turned its attention to combating biological threats of deliberate rather than natural origin. The Department of Defense (DOD) responded by partitioning its biodefense and infectious-disease vaccine acquisition programs, with biodefense vaccines holding a higher acquisition priority and receiving more robust funding than infectious-disease vaccines. This choice has significantly eroded the DOD's ability to ensure the acquisition and availability of the right vaccines at the right time to optimally protect US forces from established and emerging natural infections now and in the future.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA538607
Entities
People
- Kenneth E. Hall
Organizations
- Air and Space Power Journal