The 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was signed into law on New Year’s Eve by President Obama. Funding for the Chemical and Biological Defense Program was reduced by 5%, most of which came from removing allocations for delayed projects. One of the main goals of the current year’s spending is to increase the capabilities of the Homeland Response Force to respond to biological, chemical, radiological, nuclear, and high explosive disasters in each of the 10 U.S. regions designated by the Federal Emergency Management Administration. The FY2013 budget, under the NDAA plans to consolidate and secure collections of dangerous pathogens; provide laboratory safety enhancements and training to prevent accidental release of dangerous pathogens; strengthen partner countries’ detection, diagnostic, and reporting systems; and promote collaborative research projects to increase capacity to understand and recognize the most dangerous pathogens.
