FY19 Global Biosecurity Engagement Program Activities

ISN/CTR administers the Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP) as part of the Global Threat Reduction (GTR) portfolio. BEP's national security mission is to mitigate global biological threats by minimizing the access of terrorists or other nefarious actors to biological expertise, materials, and equipment that could be used to conduct biological attacks against the United States, U.S. allies, or U.S. interests abroad. In carrying out this mission, BEP works to prevent illicit acquisition of weaponizable biological materials or related equipment by nefarious actors; detect and disrupt potential bioterrorism plots, with a focus on readily manufactured crude agents and those with the potential to cause mass casualties; secure life science institutions and dangerous pathogens from insider or outsider threats; reduce the risk that scientists with dual-use expertise will misuse pathogens; and promote adoption of and compliance with comprehensive international frameworks that advance U.S. biological nonproliferation objectives, including United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540, the Biological and Toxins Weapons Convention (BWC), and the World Health Organization's International Health Regulations, among others.