How COVID-19 is reshaping U.S. national security policy

Abstract

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States is actively reshaping parts of its national security enterprise. This article explores the underlying politics, with a specific interest in the context of biosecurity, biodefense, and bioterrorism strategy, programs, and response, as the United States responds to the most significant outbreak of an emerging infectious disease in over a century. How the implicit or tacit failure to recognize the political will and political decision-making connected to warfare and conflict for biological weapons programs in these trends is explored. Securitization of public health has been a focus of the literature over the past half century. This recent trend may represent something of an inverse: an attempt to treat national security interests as public health problems. A hypothesis is that the most significant underrecognized problem associated with COVID-19 is disinformation and the weakening of confidence in institutions, including governments, and how adversaries may exploit that blind spot.

Introduction to the issue and volume 42 in review

“…The editorial team is pleased to release the first issue of volume 43. It embodies a special issue on national security and infectious disease based on a call for papers issued in late 2022 entitled “COVID-19, International Relations, and Security Studies: Has the Pandemic Altered the Study and Practice of International Security.” The collection of articles includes theoretical arguments from Kosal (2024) and McDermott (2024) on the impacts of disease on international security. It also includes articles from Stevens et al (2024) and Topping et al (2024) regarding the role authoritarianism plays in response to crises of disease.…”