Press Release: Lessons to learn from the current pandemic

Center for Security Policy Issues New Book on Biosecurity

Washington, D.C. – July 20, 2020

Why did the coronavirus crisis become a pandemic that ruined Americans’ livelihoods and lives? Why have public officials been so divided about what to do. Who is responsible for the pandemic and why?  What must be done to prevent future natural and man-made biothreats?

The Center for Security Policy answers these questions with a groundbreaking new book Defending Against Biothreats: What We Can Learn from the Coronavirus Pandemic to Enhance U.S. Defenses Against Pandemics and Biological Weapons.

 Edited by Center President Fred Fleitz, Defending Against Biothreats features analysis from 11 leading national security experts. A former professional intelligence analyst, Fleitz served as National Security Council Executive Director for President Trump. Previously he was an analyst with the CIA Weapons Intelligence and Nonproliferation Center and the DIA Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center.

National Review’s Jim Geraghty leads off with sobering looks at the spread of the coronavirus. National security expert Claudia Rosett surveys the World Health Organization’s (WHO) collaboration with Beijing and how it covered up and denied the danger at a crucial time, resulting in the senseless loss of hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide. China expert Gordon Chang offers blistering analysis for the Chinese regime’s culpability for the pandemic:

… the evidence shows Chinese leaders took steps they knew or had to know would lead to the spread of the disease beyond their borders.

Rosemary Gibson explains why the pandemic must lead U.S. officials to end America’s dependency on China for essential medical supplies and drugs.

Defending Against Biothreats goes beyond the 2020 coronavirus pandemic by also discussing the growing danger from man-made and natural biothreats and how to defend against them. Soviet biological weapons scientist Dr. Ken Alibek and bio expert Albina Tskhay explain the science behind man-made and natural pandemics and how pathogens can be weaponized.  National security experts Shoshana Bryen and Stephen Bryen and former CIA operations officer Charles Faddis discuss the lessons terrorists will draw from the 2020 pandemic to conduct bioweapon terrorist attacks.

Former Bush State Department officials Paula DeSutter and Stephen Elliott and former CIA analyst John Lauder evaluate U.S. and international policies to defend against biothreats and describe why much more needs to be done.

Center President Fred Fleitz said about Defending Against Biothreats:

All Americans should learn not just about the depths of Beijing’s and the WHO’s gross negligence and deception that caused the coronavirus to become a deadly pandemic.  

Every citizen should learn the lessons America’s enemies have learned about our vulnerability to bio-attacks and the weaknesses of U.S. and international bio-defenses.

The world’s leaders must act on these lessons to defend against a dire security threat that could kill millions or billions, and possibly wipe out the human race.

Defending Against Biothreats: What We Can Learn from the Coronavirus Pandemic to Enhance U.S. Defenses Against Pandemics and Biological Weapons is available for purchase on Amazon.com

The Center will launch a biosecurity webinar series in connection with the book featuring its authors.

July 21, 2020, 1 PM.  “China’s and the WHO’s responsibility for the coronavirus pandemic” featuring Gordon Chang and Claudia Rosett.

July 27, 2020, 1 PM.  “How can we develop reliable biodefenses in an uncertain world?” featuring Dr. Ken Alibek and Albina Tskhay.

July 29, 2020, 1 PM. “What U.S. enemies and terrorist groups learned from the 2020 coronavirus pandemic” featuring Charles Faddis and Shoshana Bryen.

August 3, 2020, 1 PM. “Ending America’s dependency on China for essential medical supplies and drugs” featuring Rosemary Gibson.

August 5, 2020, 1 PM. “US and international efforts to defend against biothreats – what needs to be done” featuring Paula DeSutter, Stephen Elliott and John Lauder.

Details on how to sign up for these webinars can be found here.  The Center also will post videos of these panels.