Global Security Newswire

U.S. President George W. Bush last week issued an executive order establishing a high-level working group to study strategies for augmenting security at laboratories that conduct research on dangerous diseases, the White House announced (see GSN, Dec. 24, 2008).

"It is the policy of the United States that facilities that possess biological select agents and toxins have appropriate security and personnel assurance practices to protect against theft, misuse, or diversion to unlawful activity of such agents and toxins," according to the executive order. Therefore, "there is hereby established, within the Department of Defense for administrative purposes only, the Working Group on Strengthening the Biosecurity of the United States."

The working group would include the U.S. secretaries of state, agriculture, commerce, transportation, energy and homeland security, along with the attorney general, national intelligence director, the heads of the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency and possibly other officials.

The working group is expected to study existing biosecurity laws and regulations, along with current physical, facility and personnel security measures in place at disease research sites. Within 180 days of the executive order, it must issue a report containing recommendations on possible new rules and security measures, options for comprehensive oversight systems at laboratories, and "a comparison of the range of existing personnel security and assurance programs for access to biological select agents and toxins to personnel security and assurance programs in other fields and industries."

The report would be submitted to President-elect Barack Obama, who takes office on Jan. 20 (White House release, Jan. 9).