RELATED August 16, 2023 Presidential Transitions are a Perilous Moment for National Security May 31, 2023 The State of Public Trust in Government 2023 May 17, 2023 The Good Government Connection: Linking the Employee and Customer Experiences Back to Reports Homeland Insecurity: Building the Expertise to Defend America from Bioterrorism June 6, 2003 In our effort to respond the threat of bioterrorism, a critical element of preparedness is being consistently overlooked: the skilled medical and scientific employees who form the foundation of our federal civilian biodefense. Federal employees responsible for our defenses against bioterrorist attacks constitute a civilian “thin blue line” that is retreating both in terms of capacity and expertise. Perhaps more than any other terrorist threat, bioterrorism will place huge burdens on small pools of medical, scientific and technical expertise. Federal biodefense agencies are already exhibiting hairline cracks—some would say fractures—that may presage disaster, including a worsening talent shortage, a continued loss of talent, the graying of the biodefense workforce and the government’s struggle to hire biodefense talent. Download (1m)