A Biosecure Future for the West and Its Allies
New frontier technologies will decide the next great power contest.
We’ve defended
land
sea
air
space
tech
But biology & AI are the emerging technologies that will shape the future
The West and its allies must lead – because biology is now the defining terrain of national and global security. It is everything that lives on this planet.
01
THE STAKES
Biology Is The New Battleground
Future productivity requires biotech to provide health, defense, and resilience. Nations that build their own capabilities will thrive. Those that do not will be dependent on others.
But in the United States…
Innovation is being sent offshore, increasing our reliance on others
America is dependent on China to manufacture critical medicines
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed massive global blindspots
02
THE
VISION
What a biosecure future looks like.
A west that leads and an alliance of nations that can:
Conduct, protect, and translate its own fundamental research
Manufacture its own critical medicines
Detect and defend against biological threats in real time
Remain self-reliant in moments of crisis
We already do this for military and cyber defense. Now we must do it for biology.
03
THE
GAP
Our systems have failed us. We’ve failed to treat biosecurity as infrastructure.
We’re Losing the R&D Race
The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) warns the United States has just three years to respond before falling irreversibly behind– a looming “biotech Sputnik” shock. While China operates an integrated state-sponsored biotech innovation ecosystem. U.S. innovators navigate fragmented financial and regulatory systems. This imbalance risks putting future biotech advances under adversarial control.
We Can’t Make Our Own Drugs
Supply-chain dependence erodes sovereignty. America has outsourced critical pharmaceutical production to China- now we’re dependent on foreign manufacturing. Chinese producers control most of our essential drug ingredients. Export restriction could trigger medication shortages across U.S. hospitals within days. This isn’t hypothetical; it’s a strategic vulnerability inviting coercion. We must rebuild domestic biomanufacturing and secure our medical supply chain.
The Security Architecture Has Failed
Concern about pandemics and biological weapons are not a new problem. Until now, we have tried to solve it with political organizations. This has failed in the face of modern technology and geopolitical competition. The WHO, once the world’s outbreak sentinel, lacks enforcement power; the BWC has no inspection or verification mechanism. Russia and China have exploited these gaps, blocking transparency while investigating new capabilities. Only constant monitoring and domestic capabilities- not diplomatic promises- can truly protect America and its allies.
04
THE RESPONSE
Build and Win
Secure Discovery
The BIOSECURE Act (link) draws a bright line: build, test, and store biological data only in certified U.S. or allied labs—no shell companies, no “trust-us” data pipelines. Innovate here, keep the learnings within allied borders.
Reshore & Scale
End foreign dependencies by building domestic manufacturing capacity. Ensure Americans aren’t dependent on foreign production for its medicine. (Strategic Bioeconomy Investments the U.S. Can Make Right Now).
Defend & Govern
Operationalize BIOINT -- biological intelligence -- as the next essential layer of national security, just as GEOINT and SIGINT defined past eras. This delivers NORAD for microbes: a real-time detection and attribution network allowing America and its allies to deter and hold bad actors accountable.
THE MISSION
Ensure America and its allies are the most biosecure nations on the planet.
The Biological Century Belongs to Those Who Prepare
DIG DEEPER
The Biodefense Imperative
Securing the Biological Frontier
Written by:
Matthew F. McKnight
Ginkgo Biosecurity