2024 End of Year Update from the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology

31 December 2024

As the second year of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology’s work comes to a close, we are pleased to update you on our progress. 

At the beginning of 2024, we released our interim report that laid out how the Commission proposed to accomplish our mission to develop policies that will advance and secure biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and associated technologies for U.S. national security and defense, and to prepare the United States government for the age of biotechnology.  

Since then, several of our policy ideas have already passed into law, with enthusiastic support on both sides of the aisle.  

Our legislative impact over the past year includes: 

• Several NSCEB ideas were signed into law as part of the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The biotechnology-related provisions include: 

• • Department of Defense (DOD) to create and publish an annual biotechnology roadmap, including assessing barriers to adoption of biotechnology, DOD workforce needs, and opportunities for international collaboration;   
  • DOD to initiate a public-private “sandbox” in which DOD and industry can securely develop use cases for AI and biotechnology convergence (AIxBio);   
  • Intelligence community (IC) to conduct a rapid assessment of biotechnology in the People’s Republic of China and their actions to gain superiority in this sector;   
  • IC to develop an intelligence strategy to identify and assess biotechnology threats, especially regarding supply chain vulnerabilities.   

• NSCEB-authored agriculture bills were introduced in Congress by NSCEB Chair Senator Todd Young, Congressional Commissioners Senator Alex Padilla, Representative Stephanie Bice, and Representative Ro Khanna. Elements of these recommendations were also included in the drafted House Agriculture Committee’s Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 (commonly known as the Farm Bill).  

• NSCEB policy options were included in House and Senate FY2025 Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) Planning and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) highlighted biotechnology in their public comments.  

• The NSCEB-Endorsed bipartisan Synthetic Biology Advancement Act was introduced in the Senate by Senators Padilla and Young.  

We were also featured in the press: 

• Chair Young made the case that the ‘Age of biology requires American leadership,’ Roll Call 11/13/24 

• Vice Chair Michelle Rozo spoke about ‘National Security in the Age of Biology — Does the USA have what it takes?’ ChinaTalk 03/2024  

• Commissioner Arcangeli highlighted that the ‘National Security Commission for Emerging Biotechnology Sounds the Alarm,’ SIGNAL 12/2/24  

• Commissioner Alexander Titus was featured on the Grow Everything podcast, ‘DNA of Defense: Alexander Titus on Advancing Biotech for National Security Challenges,’ Grow Everything 11/15/24  

• Chair Young spoke to the Biotechnology Innovation Organization about his priorities for the Commission, BIO 09/27/24  
• Commissioner Titus was featured on the SynBioBeta podcast, ‘Bioeconomy Lessons with Titus,’ SynBioBeta 10/22/24 
• Commissioner Dov Zakheim authored ‘Biotechnology should be high on the agenda at the Munich Security Conference,’ The Hill 2/16/24 

In addition to these accomplishments, we published 19 white papers, requested a strategic report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and participated in forums, panels, and hearings to both learn and to provide insight for public and private audiences. 

We are grateful to each person that has shared expertise, input, and guidance with the Commission over the last year. Looking ahead, we are eager to continue the momentum that we have built with your support. Please anticipate further announcements in the new year as we prepare for the next phase of our work: delivering the Commission’s major report to Congress and advancing our policy recommendations.